JPH07103343A - Gate valve device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate a dust generating element and realize an ultra-high vacuum and ultra-clean ambience by controlling an exciting current and a position of an electromagnet by a moving means so as to move a support member, and bringing a seal member supported by the support member into or out of contact with an opening. CONSTITUTION:An exciting current is supplied to an electromagnet 21, thus generating magnetic attraction force between the electromagnet 21 and a target 14 of a lot 13 so that the lot 13 magnetically floats. A position sensor 22 detects the position of the lot 13. The exciting current of the electromagnet 21 is controlled to be fed back on the basis of the detected value, and the lot 13 is held in a predetermined position out of contact with a metal partition wall 11. In the case where the lot 13 is vertically moved, the electromagnet 21 is vertically moved by a vertical mover 23. Control of each exciting current of the plurality of electromagnets 21 on the basis of the value detected by the position sensor 22 changes a distance between the electromagnets 21 and the targets 14, thereby separating an O-ring 15 from a vacuum container 51 in 1 the B direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to two chambers having a pressure difference used for semiconductor manufacturing, inspection, etc., for example, between a vacuum chamber and two chambers under atmospheric pressure, a high vacuum state and an ultrahigh vacuum state. The present invention relates to a gate valve device that shuts off an opening between chambers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some processes such as manufacturing and inspecting semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates are performed in a vacuum environment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of a multi-chamber for performing work in such a vacuum environment. This multi-chamber is
A hexagonal vacuum container 51 is provided, and a plurality of processing chambers 52 to 54, a load chamber 55, and an unload chamber 56 provided adjacent to the vacuum container 51 are provided. The vacuum container 51 and the chambers 52 to 56 are maintained in a vacuum state with different degrees of vacuum. Inside the vacuum container 51, a transfer device 57 for loading and unloading semiconductor wafers and the like between the vacuum container 51 and the chambers 52 to 56 is provided. In addition, the vacuum container 51
Between each of the chambers and each of the chambers 52 to 56, there is provided an opening for loading and unloading a semiconductor wafer and the like.
Gate valve device 60 for blocking (sealing) this opening
Is provided.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of a conventional gate valve device 60. The gate valve device 60 includes a valve seat 61 that covers the opening 59 of the vacuum container 51 and the valve seat 6
A lot 62 that supports 1 and a cylinder 63 that moves the lot 62 up and down are provided. An O-ring 64 that is in close contact with the opening 59 of the vacuum container 51 is provided on the end surface of the valve seat 61.
Is provided. Further, the shaft portion 62a of the lot 62 is
It is supported by flanges 65 and 66 attached to the vacuum container 51. A slide bearing 67 is provided between the flange 66 and the shaft portion 62a of the lot 62. A groove 68 is formed in the shaft portion 62a of the lot 62 in the axial direction, and a detent 69 is fitted in the groove 68. Further, between the head portion 62b of the lot 62 and the flange 66,
A movable metal bellows 70 is provided. The bellows 70 shuts off the vacuum side 71 having the valve seat 61 and the atmosphere side 72 having the cylinder 63.

[0004]

In the conventional gate valve device 60 as shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum side 71 and the atmosphere side 72 are provided.
Is blocked by a movable metal bellows 70. The bellows 70 is repeatedly subjected to a load on the welded portion, and metal powder is generated. Manufacture of semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates,
In the inspection, an ultra-high vacuum and an ultra-clean atmosphere are required, but the generation of metal powder by the bellows 70 is an ultra-high vacuum,
There is a problem that it prevents the realization of an ultra-clean atmosphere.

In manufacturing and inspecting semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates, dust generation of the carrier device 57 and the gate valve 60 is a particular problem. Here, even if the transfer device 57 corresponds to an ultra-high vacuum and ultra-clean atmosphere such as a magnetic levitation type, the gate valve 60 uses a bellows 70 as shown in FIG. Then, the effect of the carrier device 57 is also halved.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to eliminate dust generation,
An object of the present invention is to provide a gate valve device capable of realizing an atmosphere of ultra-high vacuum and ultra-clean.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a seal member for blocking an opening between two chambers having a pressure difference, and a support member for supporting the seal member and levitating by a magnetic force. A partition wall facing the support member and blocking a space where the seal member and the support member are present from the outside, an electromagnet facing the support member through the partition wall to float the support member, and an excitation of the electromagnet. Move the support member by controlling at least one of the electric current and the position,
Moving means for bringing the seal member into and out of contact with the opening,
It is provided in a gate valve device to achieve the above object.

[0008]

In the gate valve device of the present invention, the moving member controls at least one of the exciting current and the position of the electromagnet to move the supporting member, so that the seal member supported by the supporting member is moved relative to the opening. Be approached and separated.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the gate valve device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, a gate valve device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a cylindrical non-magnetic metal partition wall 11, which is a sealing material 1.
It is connected to the vacuum container 51 via 2. A cylindrical lot 13 as a supporting member is housed in the metal partition wall 11. A target 14 made of a ferromagnetic material is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the lot 13.
Further, on the upper end side of the lot 13, a seal portion 13a having a size capable of covering the opening 81 of the vacuum container 51 is formed. An O-ring 15 larger than the opening 81 is attached to the seal portion 13a. And
The O-ring 15 and the sealing portion 13a block the opening 81 when the O-ring 15 contacts the vacuum container 51 around the opening 81.

On the other hand, the electromagnet 2 is provided outside the metal partition wall 11 at a position facing the target 14 through the metal partition wall 11.
1 is provided. Although only two electromagnets 21 are shown on the left and right in FIG. 1, two electromagnets 21 are also arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and a total of four electromagnets 2 are provided.
1 surrounds the metal partition wall 11. In addition, a position sensor 22 for detecting the position of the lot 13 is arranged near each electromagnet 21. These electromagnets 2
The 1 and the position sensor 22 are configured to move integrally in the vertical direction along the guide 24 by the vertical moving device 23 such as a linear motor.

In this gate valve device 10, lot 1
3 and the inside 3 of the metal partition 11 with the O-ring 15 present
1 is the vacuum side, and the outer side 32 of the metal partition wall 11 where the electromagnet 21, the position sensor 22 and the vertical movement device 23 are present is the atmosphere side. Next, the gate valve device 1 of the present embodiment
The operation of 0 will be described.

First, an exciting current is supplied to the electromagnet 21 to generate a magnetic attractive force between the electromagnet 21 and the target 14 of the lot 13 to magnetically levitate the lot 13. Further, the position of the lot 13 is detected by the position sensor 22, and the exciting current of the electromagnet 21 is feedback-controlled by the detected value to hold the lot 13 at a predetermined position where it does not contact the metal partition wall 11.

When the lot 13 is moved up and down, the electromagnet 21 is moved up and down by the vertical movement device 23. Thus, the lot 13 and the O-ring 15 move up and down as the electromagnet 21 moves, as indicated by the symbol A in FIG. In addition, by controlling the exciting currents of the plurality of electromagnets 21 based on the detection values of the position sensor 22 and changing the distance between each electromagnet 21 and the target 14,
As indicated by reference numeral B, the lot 13 moves in the front-rear direction, and the O-ring 15 comes into contact with and separates from the vacuum container 51.

When the opening 81 of the vacuum container 51 is shut off, the O-ring 15 is adjusted to the position of the opening 81 by the vertical movement device 23 and the exciting current of the electromagnet 21 is controlled to vacuum the O-ring 15. It is pressed against the container 51. On the other hand, when loading or unloading a semiconductor wafer or the like from the opening 81, the O-ring 15 is separated from the vacuum container 51 and the vertical movement device 23 is moved to lower the lot 13 downward.

In this embodiment, the fixed metal partition wall 11 shuts off the vacuum side and the atmosphere side, so that there is no dusting element such as a metal bellows, and an ultrahigh vacuum and ultraclean atmosphere can be obtained. In addition, by making the other constituent elements free from dust, such as a magnetic levitation type transfer device in the vacuum container 51, an atmosphere of ultra-high vacuum and ultra-clean can be realized comprehensively.

Although the O-ring 15 is moved by changing both the exciting current and the position of the electromagnet 21 in the present embodiment, only one of the exciting current and the position of the electromagnet 21 is changed.
A sealing member such as the O-ring 15 may be configured to be brought into contact with or separated from the vacuum container 51.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, the space where the seal member and the support member are present is blocked from the outside by the fixed partition wall, and the support member is magnetically levitated and moved in a non-contact manner. Therefore, there is an effect that an atmosphere of ultra-high vacuum and ultra-clean can be realized without producing dusting elements such as metal bellows.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a gate valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vacuum container and a processing chamber and the like around the vacuum container.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional gate valve device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Gate valve device 11 Metal partition wall 13 Lot 14 Target 15 O-ring 21 Electromagnet 22 Position sensor 23 Vertical movement device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A seal member for blocking an opening between two chambers having a pressure difference, a support member for supporting the seal member and levitating by a magnetic force, and facing the support member. A partition wall that shields the space in which the seal member and the support member are present from the outside, an electromagnet that faces the support member via the partition wall, and floats the support member, and at least an exciting current and a position of the electromagnet. A gate valve device, comprising: a moving unit that controls one of them to move the support member and bring the seal member into and out of contact with the opening.