KR100749154B1 - Gate valve for preventing back pressure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a back pressure preventing gate valve for isolating an atmosphere in a chamber of a vacuum processing apparatus for processing an object such as a large or medium and large liquid crystal substrate (LCD substrate) from a chamber and a chamber. A housing installed between the chamber and the process chamber to provide a substrate transfer path; A seal door assembly installed in the housing to isolate the transfer chamber from the process chamber by opening and closing the substrate transfer path; And a driving member for moving the seal door assembly to a first position to block the substrate transfer passage and to a second position to open the substrate transfer passage. The housing includes a front surface having a first opening, and a rear surface having a second opening along with the first opening to become the substrate transfer path, wherein the seal door assembly is configured to simultaneously open the first opening and the second opening, respectively. It includes a first seal plate that opens and closes, and a second seal plate. The reverse pressure preventing gate valve having such a configuration can prevent contamination of the inside of the valve housing and contamination of the process chamber, and can maintain the transfer chamber vacuum even when the process chamber is opened to the atmosphere.

Description

Gate valve for preventing back pressure {GATE VALVE FOR PREVENTING BACK PRESSURE}

1 is an external view of a back pressure preventing gate valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a front view showing a part of the inside of the back pressure preventing gate valve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line a-a shown in FIG. 2;

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b shown in FIG. 2;

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c shown in FIG. 2;

6 is an enlarged view illustrating main parts of a support plate on which guide rollers are installed;

7 is a sectional view showing a state in which the seal door assembly is moved to the open position;

8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion showing a state in which the seal door assembly is moved to an open position;

9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional gate valve installed between the chamber and the chamber.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

110: housing

120: seal door assembly

122: first seal

124: Second Edition

126: support plate

128: link member

130: elastic member

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a back pressure preventing gate valve, and more particularly, to a back pressure preventing gate valve for isolating an atmosphere in a chamber of a vacuum processing apparatus for processing an object such as a large liquid crystal substrate (LCD substrate) to the outside.

The equipment for the semiconductor manufacturing process consists of several chambers (transfer chambers, process chambers), and gate valves are installed between the chambers to seal and open each chamber independently.

As shown in FIG. 9, since the rear surface of the seal plate 210 is exposed in the conventional gate valve 200, process gases in the chamber and by-products generated during the process progress are formed on the rear surface of the seal plate 210. And the inside of the valve housing 220. In this case, periodic cleaning may be required because coating by-products may cause performance degradation such as contaminating the inside of the valve and lowering the yield. In addition, particles are generated during operation of the gate valve, which causes contamination of the chamber.

And, most importantly, when attempting to open the process chamber to the atmosphere in mass production equipment, there was a problem in that the transfer chamber was opened at the same time.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide a new type of back pressure preventing gate valve that can prevent contamination inside the valve housing. Still another object is to provide a new type of back pressure preventing gate valve that enables the stable movement of the door assembly. Still another object is to provide a new type of back pressure preventing gate valve that can simplify the complex both sides and structure to minimize particle generation and facilitate maintenance.

Gate valve for preventing the back pressure according to the present invention for achieving the above object is provided between the transfer chamber and the process chamber to provide a substrate transfer passage; A seal door assembly installed in the housing to insulate the transfer chamber from the process chamber by opening and closing the substrate transfer passage; And a driving member for moving the seal door assembly to a first position to block the substrate transfer passage and to a second position to open the substrate transfer passage. The housing includes a front surface having a first opening, and a rear surface having a second opening along with the first opening to become the substrate transfer path, wherein the seal door assembly is configured to simultaneously open the first opening and the second opening, respectively. It includes a first seal plate that opens and closes, and a second seal plate.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seal door assembly may include a support plate disposed between the first seal plate and the second seal plate and moved to the first position or the second position by driving of the driving member; And a link member for interlockingly coupling the first seal plate and the support plate and the second seal plate and the support plate.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the seal door assembly further includes an elastic member connected to the first seal plate and the support plate and the second seal plate and the support plate, and the support plate is moved to the second position. The first seal plate and the second seal plate are in close contact with the support plate by the elastic force of the elastic member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seal door assembly further includes a plurality of guide rollers that guide the movement of the support plate when the support plate is moved to the first position or the second position of the housing.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the guide rollers are installed on the front and rear and side surfaces of the support plate to roll while contacting the front, rear and side surfaces of the housing.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the back pressure preventing gate valve further includes a vacuum port connected to a vacuum line to make the inside of the housing into a vacuum.

Advantages of the present invention over prior art will become apparent from the detailed description and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings. In particular, the present invention is well pointed out and claimed in the claims. However, the present invention may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements throughout the various drawings.

1 is an external view of a gate valve for preventing a back pressure according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a front view showing a part of the inside of the back pressure preventing gate valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line a-a shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c shown in FIG. 2.

1 to 5, the back pressure preventing gate valve 100 according to the present invention is a large processing object (hereinafter, the substrate) such as a large LCD substrate (size of the 7th generation LCD substrate is about 2.2m * 1.8m) It can be installed between the process chamber for processing the process chamber and the transfer chamber connected to the process chamber, the back pressure preventing gate valve 100 is for opening and closing the opening of the process chamber 10 and the transfer chamber 20, respectively. .

The back pressure preventing gate valve 100 may include a housing 110 connecting the process chamber 10 and the transfer chamber 20, a seal door assembly 120, and a driving member for moving the seal door assembly ( 150).

The housing 110 is formed in a rectangular box shape, and a first opening 112a and a second opening 114a are provided on the front plate 112 and the rear plate 114 to provide a passage for transferring the substrate, respectively. do. The first opening 112a is connected to the opening 12 of the process chamber 10, and the second opening 114a is connected to the opening 22 of the transfer chamber 20. O-rings 115 for airtightness are installed along the edges of the first and second openings on the outer surfaces of the front and rear plates.

The seal door assembly 120 is installed in the housing 110. The seal door assembly 120 isolates or releases the transfer chamber 20 and the first process chamber 10 by opening and closing the first opening 112a and the second opening 114a, which are substrate transfer passages of the housing. will be.

2 to 5, the seal door assembly 120 may include a first seal plate 122, a second seal plate 124, a support plate 126, and a link. The member 128 and the elastic member 130 is included. The first seal plate 122 and the second seal plate 124 are installed to correspond to each other with the support plate 126 interposed therebetween. The first seal plate 122 opens and closes the first opening 112a, and the second seal plate 124 opens and closes the second opening 114a. As such, the back pressure preventing gate valve of the present invention prevents the seal door assembly from blocking the first and second openings formed at both sides of the housing, thereby preventing process by-products or other process gases from being introduced into the housing of the valve. . In addition, it is possible to prevent particles, etc. generated inside the housing of the back pressure preventing gate valve from flowing into the chamber.

 The support plate 126 is disposed between the first seal plate 122 and the second seal plate 124, and has a first position (in FIG. 3) by a cylinder that is a driving member 150 installed outside the housing 110. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the first and second openings are moved up and down. The first and second seal plates 122 and 124 are also moved in conjunction with the movement of the support plate 126.

Guide rollers 132 for guiding the vertical movement of the support plate are installed at both edges of the support plate 126. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide rollers 132 may have a front surface 112 of the housing when the support plate 126 is moved to a first position (blocking position) or a second position (open position) of the housing 110. ) Is installed on the front, rear and side of the support plate 126 to roll in contact with the rear and 114 and the side 118. Meanwhile, guide rails 134 are installed at both sides of the housing for smooth movement of the guide rollers 132, and the guide rollers 132 are rolled over the guide rails 134.

As such, the seal door assembly 120 is vertically moved by the driving member 150, and the vertical movement of the seal door assembly 120 is made stable by the guide rollers 132 rolling on the guide rails. It can be.

The first and second seal plates 122 and 124 may be interlocked so as to be unfolded or folded from the front and rear surfaces of the support plate 126 by the plurality of link members 128. Both shafts of the link member 128 are coupled to the first seal plate 122, the support plate 126, and the second seal plate 124 and the support plate 126. When the support plate 126 is moved to the first position, the first and second seal plates 122 and 124 are spaced apart from the support plate by the link members 128 and thus moved. The two seal plates block the first and second openings 112a and 114a.

The seal door assembly 120 may include the first and second spaced apart from the support plate 126 by the link members 128 when the support plate 126 is moved from the first position to the second position. The seal plates 122 and 124 include springs that are elastic members 130 that provide elastic force to the original positions. Eleven elastic members 130 are installed at lower ends of the support plate 126 and the first and second seal plates 122 and 124. In this embodiment, a spring is used as the elastic member, but a member made of an elastic body such as rubber may be used instead.

On the other hand, the back pressure preventing gate valve 100 of the present invention has a vacuum port 160 to make the interior of the housing 110 to a vacuum or atmospheric pressure. The vacuum port 160 is installed on one side of the housing 110. A vacuum line 162 is connected to the vacuum port 160, and a vacuum pump (not shown) and a valve (not shown) may be installed in the vacuum line 162. The back pressure preventing gate valve 100 adjusts the internal pressure of the housing 110 to the same pressure or lower vacuum than the pressure of the process chamber 10 or the transfer chamber 20, thereby the seal door assembly 120. The opening and closing operation of the will be able to operate smoothly. That is, when the seal door assembly is operated to isolate or release the transfer chamber and the process chamber, the pressure may be adjusted to vacuum or atmospheric pressure according to the pressure of the chambers.

The blocking operation of the back pressure preventing gate valve is as follows. The support plate is moved from the second position (open position) to the first position (blocking position) capable of blocking the first opening and the second opening by the cylinder drive (see Fig. 5). At the same time, as the links are unfolded, the first and second seal plates are spaced apart from the support plate, and the first and second seal plates are in close contact with the front and rear surfaces of the housing to block the first and second openings. At this time, the spring is in a tensioned state inclined a predetermined angle in the separation direction. The opening operation of the back pressure preventing gate valve is as follows. The support plate is moved from the first position (blocking position) to the second position by the cylinder drive. In this process, the force (pressing force) pressed on the support plate is removed, so that the first and second seal plates are in close contact with the support plate by the elastic restoring force of the spring.

As such, the back pressure preventing gate valve of the present invention is not applied to a small processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer, but is applied to a large processing apparatus for processing a 6th generation LCD substrate (1500 × 1850 mm) and a 7th generation (1870 × 2200 mm) substrate. It is preferred to be used.

The foregoing detailed description illustrates the present invention. In addition, the foregoing description merely shows and describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. And, it is possible to change or modify within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed in this specification, the scope equivalent to the written description, and / or the skill or knowledge in the art. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the best state in carrying out the present invention, the use of other inventions such as the present invention in other state known in the art, and the specific fields of application and uses of the invention are required. Various changes are also possible. Accordingly, the detailed description of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiments. Also, the appended claims should be construed to include other embodiments.

As described in detail above, the present invention can prevent the seal door assembly from blocking the first and second openings formed on both sides of the housing, thereby preventing the process by-products or other process gases from being introduced into the housing of the valve. In addition, particles generated in the housing of the back pressure preventing gate valve may be prevented from flowing into the chamber. The seal door assembly can be moved stably and its maintenance is easy due to the internal structure. In addition, the equipment maintenance can be opened to the desired inter-chamber atmosphere and the other chamber can maintain the existing pressure as it is, thereby increasing the equipment operation yield as much as possible.

Claims (6)

delete In the back pressure preventing gate valve of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment: A housing disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber to provide a substrate transfer path; A seal door assembly installed in the housing to insulate the first chamber from the second chamber by opening and closing the substrate transfer path; And A driving member for moving the seal door assembly to a first position to block the substrate transfer passage and to a second position to open the substrate transfer passage; The housing is A front surface having a first opening and a rear surface having a second opening which becomes the substrate transfer passage together with the first opening, The seal door assembly may include a first seal plate and a second seal plate configured to simultaneously open and close the first opening and the second opening, respectively; A support plate disposed between the first seal plate and the second seal plate and moved to the first position or the second position by driving of the driving member; And And a link member for coupling the first seal plate and the support plate and the second seal plate and the support plate to be interlocked with each other. The method of claim 2, The seal door assembly is And a resilient member connected to the first seal plate, the support plate, and the second seal plate and the support plate, wherein the first seal plate and the second seal plate are moved when the support plate is moved to the second position. The back pressure preventing gate valve, characterized in that the close contact with the support plate by the elastic force of the elastic member. The method of claim 2, The seal door assembly is And a plurality of guide rollers for guiding the movement of the support plate when the support plate is moved to the first position or the second position of the housing. The method of claim 4, wherein The guide rollers are installed on the front and rear and side surfaces of the support plate to roll in contact with the front, rear and side of the housing, characterized in that the back pressure preventing valve. In the back pressure preventing gate valve of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment: A housing disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber to provide a substrate transfer path; A seal door assembly installed in the housing to insulate the first chamber from the second chamber by opening and closing the substrate transfer path; A driving member for moving the seal door assembly to a first position to block the substrate transfer passage and to a second position to open the substrate transfer passage; And A vacuum port connected to a vacuum line to vacuum the inside of the housing; The housing is A front surface having a first opening and a rear surface having a second opening which becomes the substrate transfer passage together with the first opening, The seal door assembly may include a first seal plate for opening and closing the first opening and the second opening at the same time, and a second seal plate.

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