JPH06346849A - Cryopump regeneration device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To regenerate all of cryopumps with accuracy and certainty in a short time in a cryopump regeneration device for simultaneously regenerating a plurality of cryopumps. CONSTITUTION:Operation of a cryopump 2 is stopped, an interruption valve 5 is opened, nitrogen gas is supplied into the cryopump 2, and then regeneration is started. Difference is generated among temperatures in the cryopumps 2 based on the pressure difference of the nitrogen gas caused by variable gas occulsion rates or lengths of pipings in the cryopumps 2. The temperature difference is detected by a detecting means and input to a control means 7. Then a flow rate of a mass flow controller 6 is controlled to equalize the temperatures in all of the cryopumps 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a regenerating apparatus for a cryopump, and more particularly to a technique effective when applied to a regenerating apparatus for a plurality of cryopumps.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a sputtering apparatus using a plurality of cryopumps, the efficiency of the cryopump decreases as the gas storage amount of the cryopump increases, and therefore the cryopump is regenerated periodically.

To regenerate this cryopump, nitrogen gas, which is a regenerated gas heated to about 60 to 70 ° C. by a heater, is introduced into each cryopump cooled to about -260 ° C. The temperature inside the cryopump is raised to about room temperature to evaporate the gas stored in the cryopump.

[0004]

However, with this cryopump regenerator, the temperature and the introduction pressure of the nitrogen gas change due to the difference in the length of the pipe leading to each cryopump, and the pump is evenly distributed. Regenerated gas will not spread.

As a result, the regeneration failure of the cryopump may occur, and the regeneration time of each cryopump may be different, resulting in a long regeneration time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cryopump regenerating apparatus which can regenerate the cryopump efficiently in a short time.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0008]

Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, a brief description will be given to the outline of typical ones.
It is as follows.

That is, according to one invention of the present application, each pipe for introducing the regenerated gas of a plurality of cryopumps is provided with an adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the regenerated gas.

Further, according to another invention of the present application, a plurality of cryopumps are judged by detecting means for detecting the temperature in the plurality of cryopumps and the regeneration status of the plurality of cryopumps from the temperatures detected by the detecting means. In order to make the temperature in the pump uniform, the control means is capable of automatically controlling the flow rate of the regeneration gas by the adjusting means arranged in each pipe.

[0011]

According to the cryopump regenerator having the above-described structure, the regenerating gas is supplied to the respective cryopumps at the same flow rate and the temperature inside the cryopumps becomes the same, so that the regeneration of the cryopumps becomes uniform. To be done.

Further, since the amount of regeneration gas is adjusted in accordance with the temperature inside each cryopump, each cryopump is regenerated efficiently and reliably in a short time.

[0013]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cryopump regenerating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the high vacuum processing chamber 1 includes
A cryopump 2 is provided to evacuate the high vacuum processing chamber 1, and the high vacuum processing chamber 1 and the cryopump 2 are shut off between the high vacuum processing chamber 1 and the cryopump 2. A shutoff valve 3 is provided for this purpose.

Regeneration gas heated by a heater or the like (not shown), for example, nitrogen gas is supplied through a pipe 4, and the pipe 4 is connected to a pipe 4a connected to each cryopump 2. Connected.

A cutoff valve 5 for supplying and stopping the supply of nitrogen gas is connected to the pipe 4a immediately after the cryopump 2, and the flow rate of nitrogen gas is adjusted in the subsequent stage. A mass flow controller (adjusting means) 6 is connected. The control of the mass flow controller 6 is performed by the control means 7.

Further, the cryopump 2 is provided with a detection means (not shown) for detecting the temperature inside the cryopump 2 during regeneration, and the temperature detected by the detection means is the cryopump 2 Is output from the temperature data output terminal 2a provided in the control unit 7 and input to the control means 7.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, before the regeneration of the cryopump 2, the shutoff valve 3 shuts off the regeneration gas so that the regeneration gas does not enter the high vacuum processing chamber 1. At that time, the shutoff valve 5 connected to the pipe 4a must be closed so that the regeneration gas does not leak into the cryopump 2.

Next, the operation of the cryopump 2 is stopped and the shutoff valve 5 is opened to supply the nitrogen gas into the cryopump 2. As a result, the regeneration of the cryopump 2 is started, but at this time, due to the difference in the pressure of the regenerated gas caused by the gas storage amount of the cryopump 2 and the length of the pipe to each cryopump 2, etc. A temperature difference occurs in the pump 2.

The temperature of each of these cryopumps is detected by the detecting means and input to the control means 7. When there is a cryopump 2 having a low temperature, the control means 7 increases the flow rate of the mass flow controller 6.

On the contrary, when there is a cryopump 2 having a high temperature, the control means 7 decreases the flow rate of the mass flow controller 6.

Therefore, all cryopumps 2 (see FIG.
In the above, the temperature inside the four units will be controlled to the same temperature by the control means 7 until the regeneration is completed.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, since the control means 7 performs the regeneration while controlling the nitrogen gas flow rate in each cryopump 2 by the mass flow controller 6, all the cryopumps can be efficiently and in a short time. Pump 2 is evenly regenerated.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. There is no end.

For example, the flow rate of the regenerated gas controlled by the control means 7 may be adjusted by means other than the mass flow controller 6 of the above-mentioned embodiment, or by a pressure adjusting valve for adjusting the pressure of the regenerated gas.

The flow rate of the regenerated gas may be controlled by means other than the control means of the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the measuring means 8 such as a mass flow meter or a pressure meter is visually checked to check the mass flow controller or the pressure adjustment. The amount of regeneration gas flowing through each cryopump may be manually controlled by adjusting means 9 such as a valve.

[0029]

Of the inventions disclosed by the present invention,
The following is a brief description of the effects obtained by the typical ones.

(1) According to the present invention, since the flow rate of the regeneration gas is controlled by the temperature in each cryopump, the regeneration of a plurality of cryopumps can be reliably performed in a short time efficiently.

(2) Further, according to the above (1), since the actual operating time of the apparatus using a plurality of cryopumps is increased, the production efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cryopump regeneration device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a cryopump regeneration device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 high vacuum processing chamber 2 cryopump 2a temperature data output terminal 3 shutoff valve 4 piping 4a piping 5 shutoff valve 6 mass flow controller (adjusting means) 7 control means 8 measuring means 9 adjusting means

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Jiro Sakaguchi 3-3, Fujibashi 2-3, Ome-shi, Tokyo Inside Hitachi Tokyo Electronics Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Koyanagi 3-3-2 Fujibashi, Ome-shi, Tokyo Hitachi Inside Tokyo Electronics Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A cryopump regeneration device for regenerating a plurality of cryopumps, wherein each pipe for introducing a regeneration gas of the plurality of cryopumps is provided with an adjusting means for adjusting a flow rate of the regeneration gas. A cryopump regeneration device characterized in that 2. The detecting means for detecting the temperature inside the plurality of cryopumps, and the regeneration status of the plurality of cryopumps are judged from the temperature detected by the detecting means to determine the inside of the plurality of cryopumps. 2. The cryopump regeneration according to claim 1, further comprising control means for automatically controlling the flow rate of the regeneration gas by the adjusting means arranged in each of the pipes so as to keep the temperatures the same. apparatus.