JPH0492169A - Opening and closing valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an opening and closing valve of light weight, low cost and high reliability, and suited to connect and interrupt a load lock tank and a vacuum treatment tank, by putting a valve body in a turning movement to connect and interrupt vessels and making ports and a through hole of the valve body large enough to let worpkieces through. CONSTITUTION:When a valve body 25 is put in a turning movement through a first valve rod 32 and opening parts 28a, 28b are superposed on ports 26a, 26b of a bousing 24, a vacuum treatment than 21 and a load lock tank 22 are connected through the ports 26a, 26b, and a through hole 27 of the valve body 25. The connected opening parts 28a, 28b and the through hole 27 are sealed from outside by first sealing members 30a, 30b to keep the tank s21, 22 airtight Besides, when the valve body 25 is put in a turning movement and the opening parts 28a 28b shown by imaginary lines are removed from the ports 26a, 26b and blind parts 29, 29b are superposed on the ports 26a 26b, the tanks 21, 22 are interrupted and sealed through the blind members 29a, 29b and the first sealing members 30a, 30b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention is used for shutting off communication between various process types in an on-off valve, more specifically, an in-line or inter-vacuum type vacuum device, and is used to shut off communication between various process types. It relates to an on-off valve that allows objects to pass through.

[Conventional technology]

In general, on-off valves that open and close fluid flowing through pipes include stop valves, gate valves, butterfly valves,
There are various types of door valves, cocks, etc., and they are selected and used as appropriate to demonstrate their functional characteristics. On the other hand, in the manufacturing process of electronics parts such as semiconductors, liquid crystals, optical disks, etc.
Since film formation, etching, etc. in micron units are all performed under vacuum, the above-mentioned on-off valve is also required to function as a vacuum valve. Furthermore, in such processing processes such as film formation and etching, it is necessary to transfer the workpiece from one vacuum process chamber to another vacuum process chamber with a different degree of vacuum, and the on-off valve used is simply a vacuum valve. In addition to this function, it has become desirable to be able to transfer workpieces through on-off valves for the purpose of improving transfer efficiency.

Here, from the above-mentioned viewpoint, we will consider the configuration and function of typical general-purpose on-off valves, that is, the aforementioned stop valve, gate valve, butterfly valve, and door valve, based on FIGS. 8 to 11. do. 8th
The figure shows the most common stop valve 1,
The stop valve 1 is formed in a housing 2 and is driven vertically through an inlet pipe 3 and an outlet pipe 4 that cross each other at right angles, a valve seat 5 provided between the inlet pipe 3 and the outlet pipe 4, and a valve stem 6a. The stop valve 1 is placed in close contact with the valve seat 5 and separated from the valve seat 5.
It consists of a disk-shaped valve body 6 that opens and closes. In the stop valve 1, vacuum pressure is applied to the inlet pipe 3, and vacuum pressure is applied to the outlet pipe 4.
Even if atmospheric pressure is applied to the outlet pipe 4, conversely, even if vacuum pressure is applied to the outlet pipe 4, and atmospheric pressure is applied to the inlet pipe 3, the sealing performance will not deteriorate. Since they cross at right angles, it is impossible for the workpiece to pass through. On the other hand, the 9th
In the gate valve 7 shown in the figure, the moving direction of the valve body 6 is parallel to the valve seat 5, and therefore the inlet pipe 3 and the outlet pipe 4 are in a straight line, allowing the passage of the workpiece. −
It is widely used in in-line sputtering equipment, such as those described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 106627 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11083/1983.

However, as described above, if the application of vacuum pressure and atmospheric pressure is reversed, the sealing performance will deteriorate and there will be a problem in reliability. In addition, in the butterfly valve 8 shown in FIG. 10, the inlet pipe 3 and the outlet pipe 4 constituting the housing 2 are arranged in a straight line, and the butterfly-shaped valve body 6 rotates about the shaft 9, so that the inlet pipe 3 and the outlet pipe 4 are in a straight line. It opens and closes the outlet pipe 4, and the sealing performance is good even if the application of vacuum pressure and atmospheric pressure is reversed.

However, even if the valve body 6 is opened, the passage of the workpiece is impossible because the valve body 6 and the shaft 9 are obstacles in the pipeline. Further, in the door valve 10 shown in FIG. 11, the inlet pipe 3 and the outlet pipe 4 constituting the housing 2 are in a straight line, similar to the butterfly valve 8 shown in FIG. It rotates around a shaft 11 supported by 4 to open and close the inlet pipe 3 and the outlet pipe 4. and,
This type of door valve 10 is a gate valve 7 shown in FIG.
Although it is used in in-line sputtering equipment, etc., the shaft 11 is eccentric with respect to the valve body 6, so there is a problem with sealing performance when the application of vacuum pressure and atmospheric pressure is reversed. be. In addition, even if the valve body 6 opens, the valve body 6 occupies a part of the inlet pipe 3, so although the workpiece can pass through, there is a limit to the size of the conveyance mechanism, and the workpiece conveyance system This cannot necessarily be said to be favorable. All of the above-mentioned on-off valves have a large number of parts, and when the valve body 6 is opened, the gas line 2 that seals between the valve body 6 and the valve seat 5 is directly connected to the gas used in the treatment process, for example. There is a risk of deterioration due to exposure to silane-based, organometallic-based, etc. gases for film formation, and there are problems with sealing performance and, ultimately, reliability of the on-off valve. Furthermore, the flatness of the plate-shaped valve body 6 is also severe, which has the disadvantage of increasing processing costs.

Conventional on-off valves that overcome the drawbacks of such stop valves, gate valves, butterfly valves, and door valves are known, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 5041129 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1-109801. All of these are cock-type on-off valves that have a valve body that is fitted into a housing and has a straight through hole, and that rotates to communicate and shut off the inlet and outlet openings of the housing. When the on-off valve is opened, the inlet opening, through hole, and outlet opening are aligned in a straight line, making it extremely easy for the workpiece to pass through. moreover,
The former is characterized in that the gap between the valve body and the housing is connected to a vacuum pump to evacuate the gap, and the latter is characterized in that the valve body is shaped like a truncated cone, and the valve body is shaped like a truncated cone. To ensure smooth movement, the valve body is pulled up, rotated 90 degrees, and then pushed down again to maintain sealing between the valve body and the housing.

On the other hand, FIG. 12 shows a multi-chamber one-type vacuum processing apparatus that processes a workpiece under vacuum, such as a processing apparatus that performs vacuum film formation or etching.
A plurality of vacuum process tanks 15a to 15d are arranged surrounding a load lock tank 14 connected to a vacuum pump 13. Further, the vacuum process tanks 15a to 15d are connected to independent vacuum pumps 16a to 16d, respectively, and are connected to the load lock tank 1 through on-off valves L7a to 17d, respectively.
It is connected to 4.

Then, the workpiece 19 under atmospheric pressure is transferred to the load-lock tank 1 through an on-off valve 18 separately provided in the b-lock tank 14.
4, and when the on-off valve 18 is closed, the vacuum pump 13
is operated and the load-lock tank 14 is kept in a vacuum state, the on-off valve 17a of the vacuum process tank 15a that performs the first treatment among the plurality of vacuum process tanks 15a to 15d is opened, and the load-lock tank 14 is opened through the on-off valve 17a. Work 19 in 14
is introduced into the vacuum process tank 15a, and the vacuum process tank 1
Appropriate treatment under vacuum is carried out in 5a. In this way, after the workpiece 9 is introduced into the vacuum process tanks 15b to 15d via the load lock tank 14,
The processed workpiece 19 is taken out into the atmosphere again through the load lock tank 14 and the on-off valve 18. Therefore, high differential pressures based on atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure, vacuum pressure and vacuum pressure, and vacuum pressure and atmospheric pressure are applied before and after the on-off valves 17a to 17d and 18.
The cock-type on-off valve as mentioned above is often used because the function of allowing the passage of water is required.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, among these conventional on-off valves, the
In the device described in Publication No. 0-41129, in order to maintain the sealing performance, the gap between the valve body and the housing was evacuated using a vacuum pump, so the sealing performance was not necessarily good. Moreover, since a separate vacuum pump is required for the on-off valve, there is a problem in that the cost of the on-off valve increases. Also, JP-A-1-109
In the device described in Publication No. 801, the valve body was configured to move up and down each time it rotated, which made the structure complicated and increased costs, and furthermore, the passage for the workpiece was narrowed each time. There was a problem that it hindered the passage and movement of workpieces. Furthermore, the multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 12 requires a load lock tank through which the workpiece passes each time the workpiece is moved.
Furthermore, this requires a large number of on-off valves, which not only increases the cost of the device but also increases the space it occupies.

[Purpose of the invention]

Of the present invention, the invention of claim 1 has been made against the background of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology. A first sealing member surrounding the opening and a second sealing member sealing the gap between the valve body and the housing are provided to allow communication and isolation between the containers having a differential pressure by rotation of the valve body, and further to connect the ports of the housing and the valve. By making the through-hole in the body large enough to allow the workpiece to pass through, sealing performance is ensured with a simple structure of simply rotating the valve body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an on-off valve that is lightweight, inexpensive, has high reliability, and is suitable for communicating and shutting off in-line type load rotor tanks and vacuum processing tanks, allowing movement of workpieces.

Further, the invention of claim 2 was similarly made against the background of the problems of the prior art as described above, and by providing a plurality of sets of ports in the housing in the invention of claim 1, differential pressure of a plurality of sets is achieved. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an on-off valve that is lightweight, inexpensive, highly reliable, and suitable for multi-chamber type vacuum processing containers, which enables communication and isolation between containers and movement of workpieces. .

Furthermore, the invention of claim 3 was similarly made against the background of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the invention of claim 1 is such that a concave storage chamber is formed in the valve body so that a workpiece can be stored. Furthermore, by providing a plurality of ports in the housing according to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to independently connect and shut off a plurality of vacuum containers and move a workpiece by rotating the valve body, thereby providing a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an on-off valve that can reduce the cost and space of the valve.

(Structure of the invention) In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 of the present invention has the following features:
An on-off valve that is interposed between a pair of containers having a differential pressure with each other and communicates with and shuts off the containers, the housing comprising a housing formed with a port that communicates with each of the pair of containers, a cylindrical body, and consisting of either one of the cylindrical bodies, having a through hole bored therein to define an opening and a blind part on the outer periphery, surrounding the valve body rotatably housed in the housing and the port of the housing; A first seal member is interposed between the valve body and the housing, circumferentially surrounds both ends of the valve body in the axial direction, and is interposed between the both ends and the housing to form a seal between the valve body and the housing. and a second sealing member for sealing the gap, and when the valve body is rotated, the opening of the valve body is overlapped with the port of the housing, and the pair of containers are communicated through the through hole and the port, and the blind of the valve body is The part is overlapped with the port of the nozzing to shut off and seal the pair of containers via the blind part and the first sealing member, and a workpiece of a predetermined shape passes through the port of the nozzle and the through hole of the valve body. When a pair of containers are communicated with each other by rotating the valve body as large as possible, the workpiece can be moved from one container to the other through the port and through hole, and the vertical position of the valve body and housing and the The valve body is characterized in that the valve body can be rapidly rotated regardless of changes in the direction of the differential pressure between the containers.

Similarly, the invention of claim 2 provides an on-off valve that is interposed between a plurality of pairs of containers having a pressure difference between them, and connects and disconnects each pair of containers with each other, in order to achieve the above object. a housing formed with a port that communicates with each of the containers; and a cylindrical body; a valve body rotatably housed in a housing, a first seal member surrounding a port of the housing and interposed between the valve body and the housing, circumferentially surrounding both axial ends of the valve body; a second sealing member interposed between the both ends and the housing to seal the gap between the valve body and the housing, and the rotation of the valve body causes the opening of the valve body to connect to the port of the housing. overlapping any pair of containers to communicate through the through hole and the port, overlapping the blind portion of the valve body with the port of the housing to respectively shut off the remaining pair of containers via the blind portion and the first sealing member; While sealing, the port of the housing and the through hole of the valve body are made large enough to allow a workpiece of a predetermined shape to pass through, so that when any pair of containers are communicated with each other by rotation of the valve body, the workpiece is passed through the port and the through hole. The valve element can be moved from one container to the other in any pair of containers, and the valve element can be rotated rapidly regardless of changes in the vertical position of the valve element and housing and the direction of the differential pressure between each pair of containers. It is characterized by the fact that it is possible.

Furthermore, the invention of claim 3 similarly achieves the above object by:
An on-off valve connected to a plurality of containers each having a different pressure, and capable of moving a workpiece of a predetermined shape from one arbitrary container to another arbitrary container among the plurality of containers while maintaining the pressure of each container, The housing has a housing formed with a port communicating with each of the plurality of containers, a storage chamber formed in a concave shape and capable of storing a workpiece, an opening and a blind portion of the storage chamber being defined on the outer periphery, and the housing a rotatably housed valve body, a first seal member surrounding the port of the housing and interposed between the valve body and the housing, circumferentially surrounding both axial ends of the valve body; a second seal member interposed between the valve body and the housing to seal a gap between the valve body and the housing; and a pressure unit that introduces pressure into the storage chamber of the valve body, and a pressure unit that rotates the valve body. The opening of the storage chamber is overlapped with the port communicating with one arbitrary container, the workpiece is introduced into the storage chamber through the port and the opening, and the pressure unit is used to bring the storage chamber to the same pressure as the other arbitrary container. The opening of the storage chamber is overlapped with the port that communicates with the other arbitrary container by rotating the valve body while keeping the opening, and the workpiece is introduced into the other arbitrary container through the opening and the port, and one and Each container other than the other arbitrary container is sealed via the blind portion and the first sealing member, and the valve body and housing are sealed rapidly regardless of the vertical position of the valve body and the housing and the change in the direction of the differential pressure based on the pressure of each container. It is characterized in that the valve body is rotatable.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained based on examples.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the on-off valve according to claim 1 of the present invention. First, the configuration will be explained.

1 and 2, numerals 21 and 22 are a vacuum processing tank and a load lock tank, respectively, for example, of an in-line sputtering device, and a numeral 23 is a vacuum processing tank interposed between the vacuum processing tank 21 and a load lock tank 22. , is an on-off valve that communicates with and shuts off these components and keeps the vacuum processing tank 21 airtight. Similarly to the load-lock tank 14 shown in FIG. 12 as a conventional example, the load-lock tank 22 is opened to the atmosphere as necessary to attain atmospheric pressure.
It is evacuated and becomes vacuum pressure. Therefore, the load-lock tank 22 and the vacuum processing tank 21 constitute a pair of containers each having a pressure difference based on the vacuum pressure. On the other hand, the above-mentioned on-off valve 23
The main components are a housing 24 and a valve body 25 rotatably housed in the housing 24, and the housing 24 includes a vacuum processing tank 21 and a load lock tank 2.
A pair of ports 26a and 26b are formed to communicate with each other. Further, the valve body 25 is made of a cylindrical body in this embodiment, and the through hole 27 is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the valve body 25.
As shown in FIG.
and a pair of blind parts 29a between the openings 28a and 28b,
29b is defined. Further, symbols 30a and 3
0b are ports 26a and 2 of the housing 24, respectively.
It is a ring-shaped, endless first sealing member interposed between the valve body 25 and the housing 24 surrounding the valve body 6b, and is fitted into a rectangular recess formed in the housing 24, and the outer periphery of the valve body 25. It is designed to come in sliding contact with the Note that the finish of the outer periphery of the valve body 25 is desirably 68 to 33 or less since the first seal members 30a and 30b come into sliding contact with each other when rotated. Further, reference numerals 31a and 31b denote a first valve rod 32 formed to project from both ends of the valve body 25 in the axial direction, that is, the upper end of the valve body 25 in FIG. 2, in the circumferential direction.
This is a second seal member that circumferentially surrounds the second valve rod 33 protruding from the lower end of the valve body 25 and is interposed between both ends of the valve body 25 and the housing 24, respectively. Note that the first valve stem 32 protrudes outward through a head cover 35 that seals the upper part of the housing 24 in FIG. Rotated. On the other hand, the second valve stud 33 protrudes and is fitted into the bottom end plate 36 of the housing 24, and has the function of positioning the rotating ring of the housing 24 with respect to the housing 24 together with the first valve rod 32. Therefore, the second sealing member 31a is connected to the first valve rod 32 of the valve body 25 and the housing 2.
The second seal member 31b is interposed between the second valve stem 33 of the valve body 25 and the bottom end plate 36 of the housing 24 between the head cover 35 of the valve body 25 and the housing 24. It has the function of sealing gaps. Further, the second sealing member 31a axially seals the first valve stem 32 together with the axial sealing mechanism 37 of the first valve stem 32 provided at the upper part of the head cover 35 in the figure at the penetrating end of the first valve stem 32. It is also a gland seal member, and works in cooperation with the third seal member 34 of the head cover 35 to seal the gap between the housing 24 and the valve body 25. As long as the plate portion 25a formed in the housing 24 has sufficient wall thickness, it may circumferentially surround the upper end portion of the housing 24 itself. Furthermore, regarding other sealing members, reference numerals 38 and 39 in FIG. 1 and FIG.
A sealing member is interposed between the two.

In FIG. 1, the valve body 25 is rotated via the first valve stem 32, and the openings 28a and 28b of the valve body 25 are inserted into the housing 24.
26a and 26b, the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 communicate with each other through the ports 26a, 26b and the through hole 27 of the valve body 25.

The openings 28a and 28b and the through hole 27 that communicate the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load-lock tank 22 are sealed from the outside by the first seal members 30a and 30b, thereby making the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load-lock tank 22 airtight. Hold.

Further, the valve body 25 rotates to open the openings 28a and 28b of the valve body 25 into the housing 24 as shown by the imaginary lines in FIG.
The blind portion 29 of the valve body 25 is removed from the ports 26a and 26b of the
When the ports 26a and 29b of the housing 24 are superimposed on the ports 26a and 26b of the housing 24, the vacuum processing tank 21,
Load lock tank 22 is shut off and sealed. and,
During the rotation of the valve body 25, the openings 28a, 28 of the valve body 25
When one of the rotating directions of b is opposed to the port 26a or 26b and the other is opposed to the inner circumference of the housing 24, the internal pressure of the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 is reduced to the gap between the housing 24 and the valve body 25. It will be introduced in
As mentioned above, the gap is the second seal member 31a, 31b.
Since they are sealed by the third seal member 34, both the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 can be kept airtight.

The on-off valve 23 in this embodiment configured as described above has a housing 24,
Even if the vertical position of the valve body 25 is reversed, there will be no problem with the function, and if the direction of the differential pressure between the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load-lock tank 22 changes, for example, if the workpiece inside the load-lock tank 22 Even if the load-lock tank 22 becomes atmospheric pressure when 40 is introduced, and even if the vacuum processing tank 21 is kept in a vacuum, or even if both the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load-lock tank 22 are kept in a vacuum, Even if the inside of the vacuum processing tank 21 is at atmospheric pressure and the load-lock tank 22 is kept in a vacuum, the sealing performance of the on-off valve 23 is not affected, and furthermore, the valve body 25 has the first sealing member 30a,
30b and the second seal members 31a and 31b, the valve body 25 can be rapidly rotated and operated. Furthermore, in this example,
26a, 26b of the housing 24 and the valve body 25
The through hole 27 is made large enough to allow a workpiece 40 of a predetermined shape, for example, a workpiece 40 made of a plate-like substrate such as a semiconductor, to pass through, so that the vacuum processing tank 21 is communicated with the load lock tank 22 by rotating the valve body 25. At this time, the workpiece 40 can be moved from the load lock tank 22 to the vacuum processing tank 21 by a transport mechanism (not shown) through the ports 26a, 26b and the through hole 27.

Next, the effect will be explained.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the through hole 27 of the valve body 25 is at the position shown by the imaginary line, and the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 are cut off from each other by the on-off valve 23, and the load lock tank 22 is opened to the atmosphere, and a workpiece 40 of a predetermined shape is introduced into the load lock tank 22. Next, the inside of the load lock tank 22 is brought to a vacuum pressure approximately equal to that of the vacuum processing tank 21 by a vacuum source (not shown), for example, approximately 5 Xl0-"T.
After the pressure is reduced to orr, the valve body 25 is rotated via the first valve stem 32 so that the openings 28a and 28b of the through hole 27 are overlapped with the ports 26a and 26b of the housing 24, respectively, and these through holes are 27 and ports 26a, 2
Vacuum processing tank 21 and load lock tank 22 through 6b
is connected. Note that when the load lock tank 22 is depressurized, the blind parts 29a and 29b of the valve body 25 are overlapped with the bows 26a and 26b of the housing 24, respectively, and the blind parts 29
The vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 are shut off via the first seal members 30 and 30b, and the first seal members 30 and 30b to maintain airtightness. Further, during the rotation of the valve body 25, one of the rotational forces of the openings 28a and 28b of the valve body 25 faces the port 26a or 26b, and the other side faces the housing 24.
The vacuum pressure in the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 leaks into the gap between the housing 24 and the valve body 25 when the housing 24 faces the inner circumference of the second seal member 31a.
, 31b and the third seal member 34, both the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 are kept airtight. Furthermore, when the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 are in communication, the openings 28a and 28b
The through hole 27 is sealed by the first seal members 30a and 30b, and both the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 are kept airtight. Then, the workpiece 40 in the load-lock tank 22 is moved from the load-lock tank 22 to the vacuum processing tank 21 by a transport mechanism (not shown).
4 ports 26a, 26b and the through hole 27 of the valve body 25
are large enough to pass through the work 40, and since they are arranged in a straight line and there are no obstacles between the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22, the work 40 can be moved extremely easily. be able to. When the movement of the workpiece 40 is completed, the valve body 25 is rotated again to close the through hole 27.
is at the position shown by the imaginary line in the figure, the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 are shut off, and the workpiece 40 is subjected to predetermined processing in the vacuum processing tank 21. In addition, the valve body 25
The sealed state of the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22 during rotation is as described above.

On the other hand, when the on-off valve 23 is in a sealed state, the differential pressure between the vacuum processing tank 2 and the load lock tank 22 is applied to the valve body 25, but in this embodiment, since the valve body 25 is made of a cylindrical body, Mechanical distortion due to pressure is unlikely to occur, and pressure resistance is extremely high. Further, the valve body 25 is connected to the first seal member 30
a, 30b, the second seal member 31a, and the second seal member 31b, so as long as the roundness of the inner circumference of the valve body 25 and the housing 24 and the accurate positioning of the axes are ensured, Rotation of the valve body 25 is extremely easy, and therefore, it is possible to rapidly rotate the valve body 25 with a simple structure. Furthermore, even if the vertical positions of the housing 24 and the valve body 25 are reversed from those shown in FIG. However, as described above, the sealing performance remains unchanged and the valve body 25 can be rotated rapidly.

As described above, in this embodiment, the valve body 25 made of a cylindrical body is rotatably provided in the housing 24, and the first seal members 30a, 30b and the valve body 25 respectively surround the bows B6a, 26b of the housing 24. Second seal members 31a and 31b are provided to seal the gap between the housings 24, and the rotation of the valve body 25 allows communication and isolation between the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load rotor tank 22, which have a differential pressure.

Furthermore, the ports 26a and 26b of the housing 24 and the through hole 27 of the valve body 25 are made large enough to allow the workpiece 40 to pass therethrough. Therefore, sealing performance can always be ensured with a simple structure and operation of simply rotating the valve body 25, and the workpiece 40 can be moved between the vacuum processing tank 21 and the load lock tank 22. Furthermore, since the main components, the valve body 25 and the housing 24, are cylindrical and cylindrical, respectively, it is easy to ensure their accuracy and therefore easy to process. Therefore, the on-off valve 2
3, it is possible to ensure weight reduction, cost reduction, and improvement in reliability, and as described above, it is most suitable for communication and isolation of the in-line type vacuum processing tank 21 and load lock tank 22.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the on-off valve 41 in this embodiment has a valve body 42 made of a cylindrical body, and therefore the first
A pair of openings 43a, 43 instead of the through hole 27 shown in the figure
b are bored facing each other with the rotating shaft of the on-off valve 41 interposed therebetween. The wall thickness t of the valve body 42 is
Since it is set based on the size of the valve body 3b and also in accordance with the differential pressure applied to the valve body 42, there is no problem with the mechanical strength of the valve body 42, and the openings 43a and 43b are easy to process. , the cost of the on-off valve 23 can be reduced.

The other configurations and operations are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore similar effects can be obtained in this embodiment as well.

Continuing on, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the on-off valve according to the second aspect of the invention. In FIG. 4, the on-off valve 51 of this embodiment is connected to a plurality of sets of containers having differential pressures, in this embodiment, a pair of 2 m containers, that is, vacuum processing tanks 52 arranged in the left-right direction in the figure. A device that is interposed between the load-lock tank 53 and the vacuum processing tank 54 and load-lock tank 55 arranged in the vertical direction, and connects and disconnects each vacuum processing tank 52.54 and load-lock tank 53.55 with each other. It is. Therefore, the housing 56 of the on-off valve 51 has a vacuum processing tank 52.
Ports 57a, 58a, 57b and 58b communicating with the load lock tank 54 and load lock tank 53, 55 are formed.
8b and between the valve body 25 and the housing 24 is the first seal member 3 shown in FIG.
First seal members 59a, 59b similar to 0a, 30b,
60a and 60b are interposed. The other configurations are the same as the embodiment of the invention claimed in claim 1. In this embodiment, by rotating the valve body 25, the openings 28a and 28b of the valve body 25 are superimposed on the ports 57a and 57b of the housing 56, and any desired area is passed through the through hole 27 and the ports 57a and 57b. A pair of containers, in this case a vacuum processing tank 52 and a load lock tank 53, are connected to each other,
The blind parts 29a and 29b of the valve body 25 are connected to the ports 58a and 58b.
The remaining pair of containers, in this case, the vacuum processing tank 54 and the load lock tank 55, are shut off and sealed via the first sealing members 60a and 60b. . Furthermore, the housing 24
ports 57a, 57b, 58a and 58b and valve body 2
By rotating the valve body 25, the through hole 27 of No. 5 is made large enough to allow the workpiece 40 of a predetermined shape to pass through, and any pair of containers, that is, the vacuum processing tank 52 and the load lock tank 53, or the vacuum processing tank 54 and the load lock When the tank 55 is communicated, the workpiece 40 is connected to the port 57a, 57b or 58a,
58b and the through hole 27, it is possible to move from one container, that is, the load lock tank 53 or 55, to the other container, that is, the vacuum processing tank 52 or 54. Other functions are similar to the embodiment of the invention according to claim 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the housing 5
6 has two sets of ports 57a, 57b and 58a, 58b
, the two sets of containers having differential pressures, the vacuum processing tank 52 and the load-lock tank 53, and the vacuum processing tank 54 and the load-lock tank 55, can be communicated and disconnected, and the workpiece 40 can be moved. Therefore, the on-off valve 51 can be reduced in weight, reduced in cost, and improved in reliability, and is particularly suitable for communication and isolation between multi-chamber type vacuum processing containers and movement of the workpiece 40. I can do it. In this embodiment, the plurality of pairs of containers are described as two sets of vacuum processing tanks and load lock tanks, but the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as there is room to provide the first seal member on the inner circumference of the housing 56. , it is also possible to interpose the container between more pairs of containers. Furthermore, by blinding either one of the ports 57a, 57b and ports 58a, 58b of the housing 56 in FIG. 4, it is also possible to function as an on-off valve similar to the embodiment of the invention of claim 1. It is.

Moreover, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 2. The on-off valve 61 in this embodiment is the fifth
As shown in the figure, the valve body 62 is made of a cylindrical body, and therefore has a pair of openings 63 instead of the through hole 27 shown in FIG.
a and 63b are bored facing each other with the rotation axis of the valve body 62 in between. The thickness of the valve body 62 is also the opening 63.
Since the setting is based on the size of the openings 63a, 63b and also in accordance with the differential pressure applied to the valve body 62, there is no problem with the mechanical strength of the valve body 62, and the openings 63a, 63
b is easy to process, and the cost of the on-off valve 61 can be made low. The other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, so it goes without saying that similar effects can be obtained in this embodiment as well.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the on-off valve according to claim 3 of the present invention.

First, the configuration will be explained.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 71 is an on-off valve in this embodiment, and the on-off valve 71 is connected to a plurality of containers each having a different pressure, and in this embodiment, seven vacuum processing tanks 72 to 72.
78, while maintaining the vacuum pressure in each vacuum processing tank 72-78, a workpiece 79 of a predetermined shape, such as a semiconductor, is transferred from one of the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78 to the other vacuum processing tank. A workpiece 79 made of a plate-shaped base such as the above is movable.

The on-off valve 71 includes a housing 80 and a cylindrical valve body 81 rotatably housed in the housing 80 as its main components, and the valve body 81 is connected in the circumferential direction to the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78, respectively. Ports 82-88 are formed. Further, a concave storage chamber 89 capable of storing the workpiece 79 is formed in the valve body 81, and an opening 90 and a blind portion 91 of the storage chamber 89 are defined on the outer periphery of the valve body 81.

Further, reference numerals 92 to 98 are ring-shaped, endless first seal members that surround the ports 82 to 88 of the housing 80 and are interposed between the valve body 81 and the housing 80, respectively, and are formed in the housing 8o. The valve body 81 is fitted into a rectangular recess, and comes into sliding contact with the outer periphery of the valve body 81. In addition, symbols 99 and 100 in FIG. 7 indicate the valve body 8.
1, reference numerals 101 and 102 indicate second sealing members, numerals 103 and 104 indicate a head cover and a bottom end plate, and numerals 105 and 105 indicate a first valve stem and a second valve stem.
and 106 are a shaft seal mechanism and a third seal member. These first valve stem 99, second valve stem 100, second seal member 101, 102, head cover 103, bottom end plate 104, shaft seal mechanism 105, and third
The seal members 106 are the first valve stem 32, the second valve stem 33, the second seal members 31a, 31b, the head cover 35, the bottom end plate 36, and Shaft seal mechanism 37 and third seal member 3
Since it has the same configuration and functions as 4, detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. In addition, in FIG. 6, symbols 107 to 113
is a sealing member interposed between each of the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78 and the housing 8o. Similarly, in FIG. 6, reference numeral 114 indicates that the workpiece 79 in the atmosphere is temporarily moved to the valve body 81.
It is an opening/closing mechanism that introduces or discharges the liquid into or from the storage chamber 89,
The opening/closing mechanism 114 has a through hole 1 bored in the housing 8o.
15, a door member 116 that opens and closes the through hole 115 and a housing 80 and a valve body 81 that surround the opening of the through hole 115;
A sealing member 117 is provided between the two. Then, when the valve body 81 is rotated and the opening 90 of the storage chamber 89 aligns with the through hole 115, the door member 116 is opened as shown by the imaginary line, and the workpiece 79 is introduced into the storage chamber 89 through the through hole 115. Then, the door member 116 is closed again. It goes without saying that in the case of discharging the workpiece 79, the above-mentioned operation is reversed.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 118 is a pressure unit that introduces pressure into the storage chamber 89 of the valve body 81. In this embodiment, the workpiece 79 is maintained from atmospheric pressure to vacuum via the storage chamber 89 of the valve body 81. Since the storage chamber 89 must be kept in a vacuum in order to introduce the liquid into the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78 which have been drained, the pressure unit 118 is equipped with a vacuum pump 119. The pressure unit 118 includes the vacuum pump 119 and the valve body 8.
1, a second valve stem 100, a communication hole 121 passing through the bottom end plate 104 of the housing 80 and a coupling 120, and a valve 122 interposed between the communication hole 121 and the vacuum pump 119. Then, in FIG. 6, a port 82 is opened which connects the opening 90 of the storage chamber 89 to any one of the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78, for example, the vacuum processing tank 72, by rotating the valve body 81.
The workpieces 79 that have been stacked on top of each other and have been processed in the vacuum processing tank 72 are introduced into the storage chamber 89 through the port 82 by a transport mechanism (not shown). At this time, the pressure unit 118 shown in FIG.
is maintained at the same pressure. Then, the pressure unit 118 maintains the storage chamber 89 at the same pressure as the other arbitrary vacuum processing tank to be processed next, for example, the vacuum processing tank 73, while the valve body 89
1 counterclockwise in the figure, so that the opening 90 of the storage chamber 89 overlaps the port 83 communicating with the vacuum processing tank 73. In this state, the workpiece 79 in the storage chamber 89 is transferred to the vacuum processing tank 79 by a transport mechanism (not shown) through the port 83.
The next workpiece 79 is processed in the vacuum processing tank 73. During this movement of the workpiece 79, each of the vacuum processing tanks 74 to 7 other than the vacuum processing tank 72 and the vacuum processing tank 73
8 is a blind portion 91 of the valve body 81 and each of the first seal members 84 to 8.
8 to maintain airtightness.

Furthermore, the on-off valve 71 in this embodiment has a housing 80.
1 and 2 except that a plurality of openings are provided and a concave storage chamber 89 is provided in the valve body 81. Since the configuration is the same as the on-off valve 23 in the example, the sealing performance is maintained regardless of the vertical position of the housing 80 and the valve body 81, and the direction of the differential pressure based on the vacuum pressure of each vacuum processing tank 72 to 78. It is possible to rotate the body 81 rapidly. Further, the on-off valve 71 in this embodiment has a function as the load lock tank 14 in FIG. 12 shown as a conventional example, and the vacuum pump 13 in FIG. 12 is the vacuum pump of the pressure unit 118 in this embodiment. It corresponds to 119. Therefore, it is possible to omit the load lock tank in a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus that includes a plurality of vacuum processing tanks and a load lock tank. Furthermore, by adding a cooling/heating unit for cooling and heating the workpiece 79 stored in the storage chamber 89 of the valve body 81 to the on-off valve 71, it can also have a better function as a load lock tank.

In addition, since the on-off valve 71 has the function of maintaining the airtightness of each vacuum processing tank 72 to 78, no other on-off valve is required even if the number of vacuum processing tanks to be connected increases. .

Next, the effect will be explained. In the explanation of the operation of this embodiment, the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78 shown in FIG. 6 will be explained as vacuum processing tanks of a sputtering apparatus that forms a metal film on the surface of a workpiece 79.

In FIG. 6, the valve body 81 is rotated, the opening 90 of the storage chamber 89 is overlapped with the through hole 115 of the opening/closing mechanism 114, the door member 116 is opened, and a workpiece 79 is placed in the atmosphere by a transport mechanism (not shown). is the through hole 115 and the opening 90
It is stored in the storage chamber 89 through the filter. Next, the vacuum pump 119 of the pressure unit 118 shown in FIG. 7 brings the storage chamber 89 to the same pressure (
The pressure is reduced to approximately 5 x 10 Torr), and the valve body 81 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure while maintaining the vacuum, so that the opening 90 of the storage chamber 89 is overlapped with the port 82 communicating with the vacuum processing tank 72. Ru. Then, the workpiece 79 stored in the storage chamber 89 is introduced into the vacuum processing tank 72 by a transport mechanism (not shown), and pre-processing, such as sputtering, for example, is performed in the vacuum processing tank 72 while the valve body 81 remains in the same position. During this time, the blind portion 91 of the valve body 81 is overlapped with the ports 83 to 88 of the other vacuum processing tanks 73 to 78, and each vacuum processing tank 73 to 78 has the blind portion 91 and the first seal members 93 to 98 overlapped with each other. The airtightness is maintained by blocking and sealing.

When the processing of the workpiece 79 in the vacuum processing tank 72 is completed, the workpiece 79 is again stored in the storage chamber 89 through the port 82 and the opening 90 by the above-mentioned transport mechanism.
is again reduced in pressure by the vacuum pump 119 of the pressure unit 118 to a high degree of vacuum on the order of 10-6 Torr. Next, when the valve body 81 is rotated counterclockwise and the vacuum processing tank 72 is set as one of the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 78, the other vacuum processing tank is set as the other arbitrary vacuum processing tank. 73 and the storage chamber 89 are kept at the same pressure, the opening 90 of the storage chamber 89 is overlapped with the port 83 communicating with the vacuum processing tank 73, and the workpiece 79 is introduced into the vacuum processing tank 73 by the same procedure as described above. , and then the next process is executed. At this time, similarly, vacuum processing tanks 7 other than vacuum processing tank 73
2.75 to 78 are kept airtight, so there is no problem even if each processing operation is performed. Thereafter, the sputtering process is sequentially performed in the vacuum processing tanks 74 to 78 in the same manner, and the workpiece 79 on which film formation has been completed is finally discharged by the opening/closing mechanism 114 and taken out as a product. In the explanation of the above-mentioned operation, the workpiece 79 is placed in the vacuum processing tank 72.
→Vacuum processing tank 73→...→Vacuum processing tank 78 are introduced and discharged in this order, but it does not necessarily have to be in this order, but the storage chamber 89 of the valve body 81 is ,
For example, vacuum processing tank 72 → vacuum processing tank 74 and vacuum processing tank 7
If 3 is bathed, the atmosphere in the vacuum processing tank 73, for example, processing gas, etc., will be introduced into the storage chamber 89 of the valve body 81, so this is not necessarily a preferable order.

Therefore, it is more preferable to arrange the sputtering processes in the order of vacuum processing tank 72 → vacuum processing tank 73 → . . . → vacuum processing tank 78.

The application of the on-off valve 71 in this embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned sputtering apparatus, but can be applied to processes such as CVD, etching, vapor deposition, etc., and to processes under various pressure conditions.

As described above, in this embodiment, a concave storage chamber 89 is formed in the valve body 81, and ports 82 to 88 are further provided in the housing 80, which is similar to the housing 24 in the embodiment of the invention of claim 1. Therefore, by rotating the valve body 81, it is possible to connect and disconnect the vacuum processing tanks 72 to 88 and to move the workpiece. Therefore, it can be applied to various multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatuses, and its cost can be reduced and the space occupied can be further reduced. In addition, each embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claims 1 to 3 is applicable not only to the above-mentioned vacuum processing apparatus, but also to other apparatuses, such as torpedo launch ports of submarines, or where there is a significant change in pressure difference. It can be applied as a partition between containers.

〔effect〕

According to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, the valve body made of a cylindrical body or a cylindrical body is rotatably provided in the housing, and the first seal member surrounding the port of the housing and the gap between the valve body and the housing are sealed. A second sealing member is provided to allow communication and isolation between the containers having a differential pressure by rotation of the valve body, and the port of the housing and the through hole of the valve body are sized to allow a workpiece to pass through. Therefore, sealing performance can be ensured with a simple structure of simply rotating the valve body, and the workpiece can be moved.

Therefore, it is possible to provide an on-off valve that is lightweight, inexpensive, has high reliability, and is suitable for communicating and shutting off in-line type load rotor tanks and vacuum processing tanks, which is the object of the present invention.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the housing according to the invention of claim 1 is provided with a plurality of sets of ports, communication and isolation between the plurality of sets of containers having differential pressures and movement of the workpiece are possible. . Therefore, it is possible to provide an on-off valve that is lightweight, inexpensive, highly reliable, and suitable for a multi-chamber type vacuum processing container, which is the object of the present invention.

Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 3, since the concave storage chamber is formed in the valve body of claim 1, and the plurality of ports are provided in the housing of claim 1, rotation of the valve body It is possible to connect and disconnect multiple vacuum containers and move workpieces by itself. Therefore, it is possible to provide an on-off valve that can reduce the cost and space of a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus, which is an object of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing its configuration, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing another embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view showing one embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 2, and FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view showing another embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 2. It is. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the on-off valve according to the invention of claim 3, FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view showing its configuration, and FIG. 7 is a front sectional view showing its configuration. It is. Figures 8 to 12 are diagrams showing conventional examples, and Figures 8 to 11 are front sectional views showing various types of valves, and Figure 12 is a block configuration of a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus. It is a diagram. 23.41... Opening/closing valve, 24... Housing, 25.42... Valve body, 26 a, 26 b ----- Port, 27.
......through hole, 28a, 28b...opening, 29a, 29b...blind portion, 30a, 30b...first seal member, 31a,
31b...Second seal member, 40...-...
Workpiece, 51.61...Opening/closing valve, 101.102...Second seal member, 118.
...Pressure unit. 56...Housing, 57a, 57b, 58a, 58b---Port,
59a, 59b, 60 a, 60 b -------・
First sealing member, 62... Valve body, 71... On-off valve, 72-78... Vacuum processing tank (plural containers), 7
9...Work, 80...Housing, 81...Valve body, 82-88...Port, 89...Storage chamber, 90 ...Opening part, 91...Blind part, 92-98...First sealing member, agent
Part of Patent Attorney Ugagun Figures Figures Figures Figures

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A housing that is an on-off valve that is interposed between a pair of containers having a pressure difference between them and that communicates and shuts off the containers with each other, and is formed with a port that communicates with each of the pair of containers; Consisting of either a cylindrical body or a cylindrical body,
A valve body is provided with a through hole to define an opening and a blind part on the outer periphery, and is rotatably housed in a housing, and a valve body that surrounds a port of the housing and is interposed between the valve body and the housing. a first seal member; a second seal member that circumferentially surrounds both ends of the valve body in the axial direction and is interposed between the both ends and the housing to seal a gap between the valve body and the housing; By rotating the valve body, the opening of the valve body is overlapped with the port of the housing to communicate the pair of containers through the through hole and the port, and the blind part of the valve body is overlapped with the port of the housing and the blind part is overlapped with the port of the housing. The pair of containers is shut off and sealed through the first sealing member and the port of the housing, and the through hole of the valve body is made large enough to allow a workpiece of a predetermined shape to pass through, and the pair of containers is closed by rotating the valve body. When communicated, the workpiece can be moved from one container to the other through the port and through hole, and the valve can be moved from one container to the other through the port and through hole, and regardless of changes in the vertical position of the valve body and housing and the direction of the differential pressure between the pair of containers. An on-off valve characterized by its body being able to rapidly rotate. (2) An on-off valve that is interposed between a plurality of pairs of containers having differential pressures, and communicates and shuts off each pair of containers with each other, and has a port that communicates with each of the containers. a housing made of one of a cylindrical body and a cylindrical body, a valve body having a through hole formed therein to define an opening and a blind part on the outer periphery, and rotatably housed in the housing; A first seal member surrounding the port of the housing and interposed between the valve body and the housing, and a first seal member surrounding both axial ends of the valve body in the circumferential direction and interposed between the both ends and the housing. a second sealing member for sealing a gap between the body and the housing, and by rotating the valve body, the opening of the valve body is overlapped with the port of the housing, and the opening of the valve body is overlapped with the port of the housing, and an arbitrary pair of containers are passed through the through hole and the port. The blind part of the valve body is overlapped with the port of the housing, and the remaining pair of containers are respectively shut off and sealed via the blind part and the first sealing member, and the port of the housing and the through hole of the valve body are connected to each other. When a pair of containers are communicated with each other by rotation of a valve body with a size that allows a workpiece of a predetermined shape to pass through, the workpiece can be transferred from one container to the other container through the port and through hole. An on-off valve characterized in that it is movable to a container and that the valve element can be rapidly rotated regardless of changes in the vertical position of the valve element and housing and the direction of the differential pressure between each pair of containers. (3) An on-off valve that is connected to multiple containers each having a different pressure and that can move a workpiece of a predetermined shape from any one of the multiple containers to any other container while maintaining the pressure in each container. the housing has a housing formed with a port communicating with each of the plurality of containers, a storage chamber formed in a concave shape and capable of storing a workpiece, and an opening and a blind portion of the storage chamber are defined on the outer periphery; and surrounding the valve body rotatably housed in the housing and the port of the housing,
A first seal member is interposed between the valve body and the housing, circumferentially surrounds both ends of the valve body in the axial direction, and is interposed between the both ends and the housing to form a seal between the valve body and the housing. A second sealing member that seals a gap and a pressure unit that introduces pressure into the storage chamber of the valve body are provided, and the opening of the storage chamber is communicated with one arbitrary container by rotating the valve body. The workpiece is placed over the port and introduced into the storage chamber through the port and the opening, and the opening of the storage chamber is opened by rotating the valve body while keeping the storage chamber at the same pressure as the other arbitrary container using the pressure unit. The workpiece is superimposed on the port communicating with the other arbitrary container, and the workpiece is introduced into the other arbitrary container through the opening and the port, and each container other than one and the other arbitrary container is connected to the blind part and the first sealing member. 1. An on-off valve characterized in that the valve body is sealed through the valve body and the valve body can be rapidly rotated regardless of changes in the direction of differential pressure based on the vertical position of the valve body and housing and the pressure of each container.