JP7480981B2 - Valve device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a valve device that includes a flow path block in which a flow path and a recess are provided, an annular valve seat that is disposed on the bottom surface of the recess of the flow path block, and a diaphragm that opens and closes the flow path by being separated from or pressed against the valve seat.

JP 2015-21543 A

However, in the valve device described in Patent Document 1, an annular inner protrusion with a relatively small diameter and an annular outer protrusion with a relatively large diameter are provided on the bottom surface of the recess in the flow path block, and the valve seat is inserted between the inner protrusion and the outer protrusion, and both protrusions are crimped, which causes a problem in that the deformation of the valve seat due to the crimping of both protrusions becomes large.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a valve device that can improve the sealing performance of the valve seat by suppressing deformation of the valve seat due to crimping.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a valve device comprising: a flow path block having a flow path opening, and a protrusion provided on an outer periphery of the flow path opening; a valve seat inserted into an inner periphery of the protrusion and fixed by crimping only the protrusion; and a diaphragm that opens and closes the flow path by being separated from the valve seat or pressed against the valve seat , wherein the valve seat has an annular portion having one end face pressed by the diaphragm and the other end face abutting the flow path block, and a crimped portion provided on the outer periphery of the annular portion such that one end face faces the diaphragm and the other end face abuts the flow path block, one end face of the annular portion and one end face of the crimped portion are connected by the outer periphery of the annular portion, the protrusion is crimped only to the crimped portion, the annular portion is not fixed by crimping, and the inner diameter of the valve seat is equal to the inner diameter of the flow path opening of the flow path .

According to this aspect of the present invention, the sealing performance of the valve seat can be improved by suppressing deformation of the valve seat due to crimping.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing portion A of FIG. 1 . 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main portion including a protrusion and a valve seat. FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a main portion including a protrusion and a valve seat. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the main part including the protrusion and the valve seat. FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In this specification, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout.

(Configuration of the valve device)
First, the valve device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. For convenience of explanation, the up-down direction in the drawings will be described as the up-down direction (axial direction) of the valve device 1, and the axial direction of the valve device 1 and the radial direction of the valve device 1 will be simply referred to as the axial direction and the radial direction.

Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the valve device 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing part A in Figure 1.

The valve device 1 according to this embodiment is provided in a fluid supply unit (not shown) used in semiconductor manufacturing. The fluid supply unit is used in a thin film production process in which a predetermined thin film is formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer by ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the valve device 1 includes a flow path block 2, a diaphragm 3 as a valve body, a diaphragm retainer 4 as a valve body retainer, an actuator 5 as a drive unit, and a retainer adapter 6. The valve device 1 is a normally closed air-operated valve that opens the diaphragm 3 by supplying driving air as a driving fluid to the actuator 5.

The flow path block 2 comprises a flow path block main body 21 in which a flow path 23 is formed, and a tubular (specifically, cylindrical) peripheral wall 22 that protrudes upward (toward the upper end) from one end face of the flow path block main body 21. The flow path 23 has a fluid inflow flow path 231 and a fluid outflow flow path 232. A female thread 221 that screws into the tip (lower end) of the actuator 5 is formed on the inner wall surface of the peripheral wall 22.

The fluid inflow flow channel 231 has one end (upper end) as one flow channel port opening at one end side (upper end side) of the flow channel block main body 21, and the other end (lower end) as the other flow channel port opening at the other end side (lower end side) of the flow channel block main body 21. The fluid outflow flow channel 232 has one end (upper end) as one flow channel port opening at one end side (upper end side) of the flow channel block main body 21, and the other end (lower end) as the other flow channel port opening at the other end side (lower end side) of the flow channel block main body 21. The fluid inflow flow channel 231 and the fluid outflow flow channel 232 are formed so that one end of the fluid inflow flow channel 231 does not interfere with one end of the fluid outflow flow channel 232, and the other end of the fluid inflow flow channel 231 does not interfere with the other end of the fluid outflow flow channel 232.

In this embodiment, the other end of the fluid inflow channel 231 and the other end of the fluid outflow channel 232 both open at the other end side of the channel block main body 21, but this is not limited thereto. For example, both may open at the side of the channel block main body 21, or one of them may open at the other end side of the channel block main body 21 and the other may open at the side of the channel block main body 21.

One end (upper end) of the fluid inflow passage 231 and one end (upper end) of the fluid outflow passage 232 communicate with each other via a storage section 24 surrounded by a peripheral wall 22. A ring-shaped (specifically, annular) valve seat 26 is fixed (positioned) on the bottom surface of the storage section 24 by a crimping protrusion 25 described later. One end of the fluid inflow passage 231 faces the diaphragm 3 via the valve seat 26. Details of the valve seat 26 of the valve device 1 and the protrusion 25 for fixing the valve seat 26 will be described later.

The diaphragm 3 is a valve body that opens and closes the flow path 23 by being separated from or pressed against the valve seat 26. The diaphragm 3 is a partition member that separates the flow path 23 side from the actuator 5 side. In addition, the diaphragm 3 is formed in an arc shape that protrudes toward the actuator 5 side (upper side) in the natural state, and is made of, for example, a nickel alloy thin plate. When driving air is not supplied to the actuator 5, the diaphragm 3 is pressed against the valve seat 26 by the diaphragm presser 4.

The diaphragm retainer 4 is a retaining member for holding the diaphragm 3 against the valve seat 26. The diaphragm retainer 4 has an abutment portion 41 that abuts against the diaphragm 3.

The actuator 5 presses the diaphragm 3 against the valve seat 26 via the diaphragm retainer 4, thereby blocking the fluid inflow passage 231 and the fluid outflow passage 232.

A ring-shaped (specifically, circular) pressing adapter 6 is provided between the tip (lower end) of the actuator 5 and the outer periphery of the diaphragm 3. The outer periphery of the diaphragm 3 is held between the pressing adapter 6 and the bottom surface of the accommodation section 24 of the flow path block 2, and is fixed by screwing the tip (lower end) of the actuator 5 into the female threads 221 of the peripheral wall 22. The abutment portion 41 of the diaphragm presser 4, which contacts the diaphragm 3, is inserted inside the pressing adapter 6.

As described above, in this embodiment, the valve device 1 is configured to include the flow path block 2, diaphragm 3, diaphragm retainer 4, actuator 5, and retainer adapter 6, but is not limited to this and may be configured to include, for example, the flow path block 2, diaphragm 3, diaphragm retainer 4, actuator 5, retainer adapter 6, and bonnet (not shown). In this case, a bonnet is interposed between the flow path block 2 and the actuator 5.

(Operation of the valve device)
Next, the operation of the valve device 1 will be described.

When the driving air supply control unit (not shown) supplies driving air to the actuator 5 of the valve device 1, the diaphragm 3 rises together with the diaphragm retainer 4 due to its own restoring force, and moves away from the valve seat 26. That is, the diaphragm 3 opens one end of the fluid inflow passage 231 due to the supply of driving air to the actuator 5. Therefore, a fluid such as a process gas or a purge gas is supplied from the fluid inflow passage 231 to the fluid outflow passage 232 via the gap formed between the valve seat 26 and the diaphragm 3.

On the other hand, when the driving air supply control unit does not supply driving air to the actuator 5 of the valve device 1, the diaphragm 3 closes one end of the fluid inflow passage 231 by lowering the diaphragm retainer 4. Therefore, fluids such as vaporized process gas or purge gas are not supplied from the fluid inflow passage 231 to the fluid outflow passage 232.

In this way, the drive air supply control unit controls the supply of drive air to the actuator 5, thereby switching between opening and closing the diaphragm 3 relative to the valve seat 26. Therefore, with this valve device 1, it is possible to control the supply of fluid from the fluid inlet flow path 231 to the fluid outlet flow path 232. Note that in this embodiment, the valve device 1 is made up of a normally closed air operated valve, but is not limited to this and may be made up of, for example, a normally open air operated valve.

(Configuration of valve seat and protrusion)
Next, the protrusion 25 and the valve seat 26 of the valve device 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main parts including the protruding portion 25 and the valve seat 26. In addition, in Figure 3, the left protruding wall 251 constituting the protruding portion 25 shows the state before it is crimped to the valve seat 26, and the right protruding wall 251 constituting the protruding portion 25 shows the state after it is crimped to the valve seat 26.

2 and 3, the protruding portion 25 is a crimping portion for fixing the valve seat 26. Like the flow path block main body 21, the protruding portion 25 is preferably made of metal, for example, stainless steel (specifically, SUS316L). The protruding portion 25 is made of a protruding wall 251 provided around the entire circumference of the same circle. The protruding wall 251 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage portion 24, on the outer periphery of one end (upper end) of the fluid inflow flow path 231, so as to protrude toward the diaphragm 3 side (upper side). The protruding wall 251 has a protruding amount t1.

In addition, in this embodiment, the protruding portion 25 is composed of a protruding wall 251, but this is not limited thereto, and may be composed of, for example, multiple protruding pieces. In this case, the multiple protruding pieces are provided at predetermined equal intervals on the same circumference.

The valve seat 26 is a sealing material that is pressed by the diaphragm 3 to ensure sealing between one end (upper end) of the fluid inflow channel 231 and one end (upper end) of the fluid outflow channel 232. The valve seat 26 is made of a resin material, and is preferably made of PCTFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene), for example. The valve seat 26 is inserted into the inner periphery of the protruding portion 25 (the inner periphery of the protruding wall 251) and fixed by crimping the protruding portion 25.

The valve seat 26 further includes an inner annular portion 261 having a circular ring shape as an annular portion, and an outer annular portion 262 as a crimped portion provided on the entire outer circumference of the inner annular portion 261. The inner annular portion 261 and the outer annular portion 262 are integrally formed coaxially. The corners of the inner annular portion 261 and the outer annular portion 262 are deburred.

In this embodiment, only the protruding wall 251 constituting the protrusion 25 is crimped to the valve seat 26. Specifically, the protruding wall 251 is not crimped to the inner periphery of the annular (specifically, circular) valve seat 26, but is crimped only to the outer periphery of the valve seat 26. Therefore, compared to a structure in which the crimped portion is crimped to the inner and outer periphery of the valve seat 26, deformation of the valve seat 26 due to crimping can be suppressed and the crimping work can be performed easily. As a result, the sealing property of the valve seat 26 and the workability of crimping can be improved.

In this embodiment, the crimped portion is composed of an outer annular portion 262 provided around the entire outer periphery of the inner annular portion 261, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, a plurality of thick portions (not shown) provided at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the inner annular portion 261. In this case, each thick portion is provided corresponding to the position of each protruding piece.

One end face (upper end face) of the inner annular portion 261 is pressed by the diaphragm 3, and the other end face (lower end face) abuts against the flow path block main body 21 (specifically, the bottom surface of the storage section 24). Therefore, the inner annular portion 261 essentially functions as a sealant. On the other hand, one end face (upper end face in FIG. 2) of the outer annular portion 262 that faces the diaphragm 3 is not pressed by the diaphragm 3, and the other end face (lower end face) abuts against the flow path block main body 21 (specifically, the bottom surface of the storage section 24).

One end face (upper end face) of the inner annular portion 261 and one end face (upper end face) of the outer annular portion 262 are both provided to extend along the radial direction in a cross-sectional view. One end face (upper end face) of the inner annular portion 261 and one end face (upper end face) of the outer annular portion 262 are connected by an outer peripheral surface 261a located above the inner annular portion 261.

The protruding wall 251 is crimped only to the outer annular portion 262 (specifically, the outer periphery of the outer annular portion 262). As a result, the protruding wall 251 is not crimped to the inner annular portion 261, so deformation of the inner annular portion 261 due to crimping of the protruding wall 251 can be suppressed compared to a structure in which the crimping portion is directly crimped to the inner annular portion 261. As a result, deformation of the valve seat 26 due to crimping can be further suppressed, and the sealing performance of the valve seat 26 can be further improved.

The protruding wall 251 (left side in FIG. 3) before being crimped to the outer annular portion 262 protrudes further than the outer annular portion 262. In other words, the protruding amount t1 of the protruding wall 251 is greater than the height h2 of the outer annular portion 262. The protruding wall 251 (right side in FIG. 3) is then deformed so as to bend at a predetermined angle θ with its base end (lower end) as a fulcrum and crimped to the outer annular portion 262. Then, the outer annular portion 262 is pressed accurately against the bottom surface of the storage section 24 by the tip (upper end) of the protruding wall 251.

In this embodiment, since no crimping portion is provided on the inner circumference of the inner annular portion 261, the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 can be made the same as the diameter of one end (upper end) of the fluid inflow passage 231. As a result, compared to a structure in which a crimping portion is provided on the inner circumference of the inner annular portion 261, the radial thickness of the inner annular portion 261 can be made thicker at the crimped portion, thereby improving the durability of the inner annular portion 261 (i.e., the valve seat 26). In addition, since the amount of deformation of the diaphragm 3 can be suppressed, the durability of the diaphragm 3 can be improved.

If the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 after the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262 is, for example, 7.0 mm, the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 before the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262 is the same as 7.0 (± about 5%) mm. In this way, since the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 does not change before and after the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262, it is possible to eliminate unevenness in the flow of the fluid flowing on the inner side of the inner annular portion 261.

The ratio of the axial height h2 of the outer annular portion 262 to the axial height h1 of the inner annular portion 261 (hereinafter simply referred to as h2/h1 ) is 1/3 or more and 1/2 or less. If h2/ h1 is less than 1/3, the height h2 of the outer annular portion 262 cannot be ensured, and when the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262, the outer annular portion 262 may be deformed and completely crushed by crimping. As a result, the valve seat 26 cannot be fixed accurately by the protruding portion 25. On the other hand, if h2/ h1 exceeds 1/2, a part of one end face (upper end face) of the inner annular portion 261 is likely to be inclined when the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262, and the sealing property of the valve seat 26 may be reduced. From the above, by setting h2/ h1 to 1/3 or more and 1/2 or less, the valve seat 26 can be fixed accurately by the protruding portion 25 without reducing the sealing property of the valve seat 26.

The radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 is equal to or less than the radial thickness d1 of the inner annular portion 261. This ensures the durability of the valve seat 26 compared to a structure in which the radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 is greater than the radial thickness d1 of the inner annular portion 261.

In addition, from the viewpoint of improving the durability and sealing performance of the valve seat 26, it is preferable that the radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 is equal to or greater than the product of sinθ and the protruding amount t1 of the protruding wall 251 (hereinafter simply referred to as sinθ×t1), that is, equal to or greater than the radial dimension of the protruding wall 251 bent at a predetermined angle θ and equal to or less than the radial thickness d1 of the inner annular portion 261. If the radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 is less than sinθ×t1, when the protruding wall 251 is bent at a predetermined angle θ, the tip of the protruding wall 251 will be embedded in the outer peripheral surface 261a of the inner annular portion 261, and the inner annular portion 261 will be deformed. On the other hand, by making the radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 equal to or greater than sinθ×t1, it is possible to prevent the tip of the protruding wall 251 from embedding in the outer peripheral surface 261a of the inner annular portion 261.

Next, we will explain the effects of this embodiment.

The valve device 1 according to this embodiment includes a flow path block body 21 in which a fluid inflow flow path 231 having one end (upper end) is formed and in which a protrusion 25 is provided on the outer periphery of one end (upper end) of the fluid inflow flow path 231, a valve seat 26 that is inserted into the inner periphery of the protrusion 25 and fixed by crimping only the protrusion 25, and a diaphragm 3 that opens and closes the flow path 23 by being separated from the valve seat 26 or pressed against the valve seat 26.

With this configuration, only the protrusion 25 is crimped to the valve seat 26, so compared to a structure in which the crimping portion is crimped to the inner and outer periphery of the valve seat 26, it is possible to suppress deformation of the valve seat 26 due to crimping and to simplify the crimping work. As a result, it is possible to improve the sealing performance of the valve seat 26 and the ease of crimping work.

In this embodiment, the valve seat 26 has an inner annular portion 261, one end face (upper end face) of which is pressed by the diaphragm 3 and the other end face (lower end face) of which abuts against the flow path block main body 21, and an outer annular portion 262, which is provided on the outer periphery of the inner annular portion 261 so that one end face (upper end face) faces the diaphragm 3 and the other end face (lower end face) of which abuts against the flow path block main body 21. One end face (upper end face) of the inner annular portion 261 and one end face (upper end face) of the outer annular portion 262 are connected by the outer circumferential surface 261a of the inner annular portion 261, and the protrusion 25 is crimped only to the outer annular portion 262.

With this configuration, the protruding portion 25 is not crimped to the inner annular portion 261, so deformation of the inner annular portion 261 due to crimping of the protruding wall 251 can be suppressed compared to a structure in which the crimping portion is directly crimped to the inner annular portion 261. As a result, deformation of the valve seat 26 due to crimping can be further suppressed, and the sealing performance of the valve seat 26 can be further improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the protrusion 25 protrudes beyond the outer annular portion 262 before being crimped to the outer annular portion 262.

With this configuration, the outer annular portion 262 is accurately pressed against the bottom surface of the storage portion 24 by the tip (upper end) of the protruding wall 251.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ratio of the height h2 of the outer annular portion 262 to the height h1 of the inner annular portion 261 is greater than or equal to 1/3 and less than or equal to 1/2.

This configuration allows the valve seat 26 to be accurately fixed by the protrusion 25 without compromising the sealing performance of the valve seat 26.

In addition, in this embodiment, the radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 is less than or equal to the radial thickness d1 of the inner annular portion 261.

This configuration ensures the durability of the valve seat 26 compared to a structure in which the radial thickness d2 of the outer annular portion 262 is greater than the radial thickness d1 of the inner annular portion 261.

In addition, in this embodiment, the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 after the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262 is the same as the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 before the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262.

With this configuration, the inner diameter of the inner annular portion 261 does not change before and after the protruding wall 251 is crimped to the outer annular portion 262, eliminating unevenness in the flow of fluid flowing along the inner periphery of the inner annular portion 261.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above-described embodiment merely illustrates some of the application examples of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above-described embodiment.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example of the main parts including the protruding portion 25 and the valve seat 26 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Note that in this modified example, the description of the same points as in the above-mentioned embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be focused mainly on the points that differ from the above-mentioned embodiment.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the main part including the protrusion 25 and the valve seat 26.

In the above-described embodiment, the inner annular portion 261 is formed so that its inner diameter is the same as the diameter of the fluid inlet flow passage 231, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, the inner diameter may be formed so that it is larger than the diameter of the fluid inlet flow passage 231. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, a support portion 27 is provided on the inner circumferential side of the inner annular portion 261. That is, the support portion 27 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage portion 24 so as to be located on the inner circumferential side of the protrusion 25.

The support portion 27 is not crimped to the inner annular portion 261, but is a wall portion for supporting the inner peripheral surface of the inner annular portion 261 when the valve seat 26 is inserted between the protrusion 25 and the support portion 27. Such a support portion 27 can suppress rattling of the valve seat 26 caused by vibration during use of the valve device 1, particularly rattling in the radial direction of the valve seat 26. It is preferable that the axial height of the support portion 27 is equal to or greater than the axial height h2 of the outer annular portion 262 and equal to or less than the axial height h1 of the inner annular portion 261.

Next, another modification of the main parts including the protrusion 25 and the valve seat 26 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Note that in this modification, the description of the same points as in the above-mentioned embodiment will be omitted, and the differences from the above-mentioned embodiment will be mainly described.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the main part including the protrusion 25 and the valve seat 26.

In the above-described embodiment, no groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the inner annular portion 261, but this is not limited thereto. For example, an engagement groove 28 extending along the axial direction may be formed as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, an engagement portion 29 that engages with the engagement groove 28 is provided on the bottom surface of the accommodation portion 24.

The engagement between the engagement groove 28 and the engagement portion 29 can suppress rattling of the valve seat 26 caused by vibration during use of the valve device 1, particularly rattling in the circumferential direction of the valve seat 26.

Reference Signs List 1 Valve device 2 Flow passage block 3 Diaphragm 4 Diaphragm retainer 5 Actuator 21 Flow passage block body 23 Flow passage 25 Protrusion 26 Valve seat 251 Protruding wall 261 Inner annular portion 262 Outer annular portion

Claims (5)

a flow path block in which a flow path having a flow path port is formed and a protrusion is provided on an outer circumferential side of the flow path port;
a valve seat that is inserted into the inner circumferential side of the protruding portion and fixed by crimping only the protruding portion;
a diaphragm that opens and closes the flow path by being separated from the valve seat or pressed against the valve seat;
Equipped with
The valve seat is
an annular portion having one end surface pressed by the diaphragm and the other end surface abutting against the flow path block;
a crimped portion provided on an outer periphery of the annular portion such that one end surface faces the diaphragm and the other end surface abuts against the flow path block,
one end surface of the annular portion and one end surface of the crimped portion are connected by an outer circumferential surface of the annular portion,
The protruding portion is crimped only to the crimped portion ,
The annular portion is not fixed by crimping, and the inner diameter thereof is equal to the inner diameter of the flow passage opening of the flow passage.
Valve device. The protruding portion protrudes beyond the crimped portion before being crimped to the crimped portion.
The valve device of claim 1 . The height of the crimped portion is equal to or greater than 1/3 and equal to or less than 1/2 of the height of the annular portion.
3. A valve device according to claim 1 or 2. The thickness of the crimped portion is equal to or less than the thickness of the annular portion.
A valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The inner diameter of the annular portion after the protruding portion is crimped to the crimped portion is the same as the inner diameter of the annular portion before the protruding portion is crimped to the crimped portion.
A valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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