KR100905732B1 - A valve apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A valve device mounted on a conduit connecting a chamber and a vacuum pump, the valve device being capable of being opened and closed so that a pumping force of the vacuum pump is selectively transferred to the chamber, comprising: a valve body having an inlet and an outlet; A moving body movably installed in the valve body to selectively open and close the inlet; A driving unit coupled to the valve body to move the moving body; A connection shaft connecting the drive unit and the moving body; And a first heater installed on the connection shaft and heating the moving body.

Valves, bellows, chambers, vacuum pumps, heaters

Description

[0001]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining a vacuum supply system of a general LPCVD apparatus. FIG.

2 is a perspective view of a valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a sectional view of the valve device shown in Fig.

4 is a sectional view of the connection shaft shown in Fig.

5 is a plan view of the connection shaft shown in Fig.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the first heater shown in FIG. 3; FIG.

7 is a sectional view for explaining a state in which the valve is opened in the state of FIG. 2;

Description of the Related Art

100 .. Valve body 200 .. Moving body

210 .. bellows body 220 .. head part

230 .. support portion 240 .. spring

300 .. drive unit 310 .. cylinder

320 .. Piston member 400 .. Connection shaft

500 .. First heater 600 .. Second heater

700 .. connector 810 .. power cable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve apparatus, and more particularly, to a valve apparatus installed between a chamber and a vacuum pump of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to selectively open and close vacuum pressure applied to the chamber.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Most of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses using a vacuum pump include valves that are driven by valve apparatuses, for example, bellows. The valve device is installed between a vacuum pump and a chamber in which a unit process such as a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process or a plasma etching process is performed, and controls the vacuum pressure applied to the chamber.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a vacuum supply system for converting a vacuum inside a chamber into an LPCVD apparatus that performs a general PLCVD (Low Pressure CVD) process.

1, a vacuum supply system of a general LPCVD apparatus includes a chamber 1 in which a boat 12 to which a certain number of wafers are loaded is loaded, and a vacuum pump 13 is connected to the chamber 1 by a conduit 3 . A valve 10, a vacuum pressure sensor 15 and a gas trap 14 are connected to the conduit 3, respectively. The first and second auxiliary conduits 4, 5, which bypass the valve 10, are connected in parallel with the valve 10 on the conduit 3, respectively.

The first auxiliary conduit 4 is provided with a first valve 6 and a first needle valve 7 for controlling the amount of gas passing through the first valve 6 and a second auxiliary conduit 4 is provided with a second valve 8 and a second needle valve 9 for regulating the amount of gas passing through the second valve 8. The first needle valve 7 is connected to the second needle valve 9 ) To pass through.

Such a vacuum supply system is a system in which the gas in the chamber 11 is introduced into the conduit 3 by the operation of the vacuum pump 13 in order to prevent the chamber 11 from being damaged due to a sudden change in pressure when the chamber 11 is brought into a vacuum state The first valve 6 is opened while the valve 10 and the second valve 8 are closed and the gas in the chamber 11 is finely evacuated so that the pressure in the chamber 11 is constant The first valve 6 is closed and the second valve 8 is opened to exhaust a small amount of gas in the chamber 11. [ The second valve 8 is closed and the valve 10 is opened to exhaust the gas in the chamber 11 in a large amount when the pressure in the chamber 11 is reduced to some extent due to the opening of the second valve 8. [ The pressure in the chamber 11 is sensed through the vacuum pressure sensing sensor 15 and the powder contained in the residual gas exiting through the conduit 3 is removed by the gas trap 14.

On the other hand, the valve 10 may include a reciprocating guide shaft and a bellows and a valve head for moving the guide shaft while contracting and expanding. A valve head is coupled to the guide shaft, and the guide shaft is reciprocated by the drive unit. The bellows is expanded and contracted, and the valve opening / closing operation is performed by sliding movement of the valve head moved together with the guide shaft.

As the valve head is moved along the guide axis, the flow of gas flowing along the conduit 3 is eventually controlled.

On the other hand, when the valve 10 is opened to discharge the gas in the chamber 11 through the vacuum pump 13, by-products are attached to the inside of the conduit 3 and the inside of the valve 10. Byproducts, such as powder, upon discharge of gas in the chamber 11, may be introduced into the chamber 11 through the valve body, the guide shaft, and the bellows 11, such as, for example, Assembly or the like. The adsorbed powder interferes with opening and closing operations of the valve 10, and smooth operation of the bellows assembly coupled to the guide shaft is hindered. Further, there is a problem that the powder adsorbed on the bellows assembly and the wall inside the valve body flows back to the chamber 11 and contaminates the inside of the chamber 11.

On the other hand, such by-products can greatly reduce the amount of adhering by heating, i.e., increasing the temperature, depending on the properties of the material. In view of this, conventionally, as a method for heating the valve body from the outside, a structure in which a heater is coupled to the outside of the valve body to heat the valve body is employed, and in this case, the heater is not separated from the valve body, There is a problem that it is difficult to clean and clean the valve. Further, if the valve body is heated outside the valve, it takes a long time to heat the inside of the valve body, which is inefficient.

However, in this case, the installation space of the heating means is insufficient to increase the size of the valve, and the valve head exposed on the flow path of the gas is concentrated There is a limit to heating.

In addition, when the temperature of the driving unit is increased by transferring the heat heated by the valve to the driving unit of the valve, the performance of the driving unit is deteriorated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a valve device with improved structure for rapidly heating a valve.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved valve device capable of quickly heating a temperature inside a valve by a simple configuration.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a valve device having a structure that is lightweight and compact while reducing the heating time of the valve.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a valve device with an improved structure that can prevent the heat of the valve body from being transmitted to the valve driving portion.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a valve device installed on a conduit connecting a chamber and a vacuum pump, the valve device being openable and closable to selectively transmit the pumping force of the vacuum pump to the chamber, A valve body; A moving body movably installed in the valve body to selectively open and close the inlet;

A driving unit coupled to the valve body to move the moving body; A connecting shaft connecting the driving unit and the moving body; And a first heater installed on the connection shaft and heating the moving body.

The connection shaft includes a pipe-shaped shaft member communicating with the upper and lower portions, respectively, and having a lower end coupled to the drive unit; And a heat generating coupling member coupled to the inside of the moving body in a state of being coupled to the upper end of the shaft member and having a receiving groove for receiving the first heater in a predetermined pattern on a surface in contact with the moving body.

It is also preferable that the receiving groove has one side communicated with the internal space of the shaft member and formed into a spiral shape on the heat generating coupling member.

The first heater is formed in a shape corresponding to the receiving groove and is accommodated in the receiving groove. The first heater extends through a hollow portion of the shaft member and is connected through a lower end of the shaft member. It is preferable to include a heat-generating metal which is heated by heat.

Further, the moving body may include a shrinkable and inflatable bellows body; A head connected to an upper portion of the bellows body to open and close the inlet and to couple the connecting shaft to the inside; A support provided at a lower end of the bellows body and coupled to the valve body; And a spring installed inside the bellows body and pressing the bellows body in a direction in which the bellows body expands.

A second heater installed to surround the outside of the valve body, the second heater having a cut-out portion opened by an external force so as to be detachable from the valve body; And a locking member provided on the second heater to prevent the incision from spreading.

The connector may further include a connector provided between the valve body and the driving unit and having a plurality of exhaust holes formed on the outer side thereof.

The driving unit may further include: a cylinder coupled to the connector; And a piston member installed to reciprocate within the cylinder and connected to the connection shaft.

Hereinafter, a valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 and 3, the valve device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a valve body 100, a moving body 200 installed in the valve body 100, A connecting shaft 400 connecting the moving body 200 and the driving unit 300 and a first heater installed on the connecting shaft 400 to heat the moving body 200 A second heater 600 installed outside the valve body 100 and a connector 700 connecting the valve body 100 and the driving unit 300.

The valve body 100 is installed on a conduit connecting between a chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a vacuum pump and includes an inlet 110 corresponding to the chamber side and an outlet 120 corresponding to the vacuum pump side I have. The inlet 110 and the outlet 120 are disposed at an approximately 90 degree angle. The inlet 110 may be selectively opened and closed by the moving body 200 so that the gas may pass through the inlet 110 or may not be allowed to pass through the outlet 120.

In addition, a coupling portion 130 to which the moving body 200 is coupled is formed on the opposite side of the inlet 110 of the valve body 100. A thread is formed on the inner periphery of the coupling part 130 so that a part of the moving body 200 can be screwed and supported.

The moving body 200 includes a bellows body 210, a head 220 connected to one end of the bellows body 210, a support 230 connected to the tart of the bellows body 210, And a spring 240 installed inside the body 210.

The bellows body 210 is an empty space, and has a structure capable of contracting and expanding.

The head portion 220 is coupled to one end of the bellows body 210, that is, the upper portion of the bellows body 210, as shown in FIG. The head part 220 has a structure in which the upper end is closed and the lower end is opened to have a certain space therein. 3, when the bellows body 210 is inflated, the head portion 220 is raised to close the inlet 110 to block the inlet 110. [ When the bellows body 210 is contracted, the head portion 220 is lowered to open the inlet 110. [ The connection shaft 400 is coupled to the inner ceiling of the head unit 220. Specifically, the ceiling of the head part 220 may be provided with a coupling part 221 having a screw thread on its inner periphery so that the coupling shaft 400 can be screwed.

The support portion 230 is connected to the other end, that is, the lower end of the bellows body 210. The support portion 230 is coupled to the coupling portion 130 of the valve body 100 to fix the movable body 200 in position. The support portion 230 may be coupled to the coupling portion 130 by welding or the like, or may be screwed to form a threaded portion. A sealing member may be provided between the support portion 230 and the coupling portion 130 of the valve body 100.

The spring 240 is a compression spring installed inside the bellows body 210. The spring 240 elastically presses the moving body 200 in a direction in which the bellows body 210 is expanded. Specifically, one end of the spring 240 is supported by the upper end of the connection shaft 400, and the other end is supported by the connector 700.

The driving unit 300 includes a cylinder 310 coupled to the connector 700 and a piston member 320 reciprocally moved within the cylinder 310.

The cylinder 310 has a cylinder chamber 311 having a certain space therein. The cylinder chamber 311 communicates with the connection passage 312 through which the working fluid enters and exits from the outside. The cylinder 310 also has a guide hole 313 to which the operating shaft 322 of the piston member 320 is coupled. The guide hole 313 is provided with a bushing member 315. The cylinder 310 is coupled to the connector 700 by a screw or the like.

The piston member 320 has a piston body 321 installed to be reciprocated in the cylinder chamber 311 and an operation shaft 322 connecting the piston body 321 and the connection shaft 400. The operation shaft 322 is installed to be reciprocally slidable along the bushing member 315 coupled to the guide hole 313.

The piston member 320 is reciprocally driven by the operation in which the working fluid flows into and out of the cylinder chamber 311 through the connection passage 312 and the reciprocating movement of the piston member 320 causes the piston member 320 Is also reciprocated. Accordingly, the reciprocating movement of the connecting shaft 400 enables the moving body 200 to perform opening and closing operations while repeatedly contracting and expanding.

4, the connection shaft 400 includes a shaft member 410 and a heat generating coupling member 420 coupled to an upper portion of the shaft member 410. As shown in FIG.

The shaft member 410 has an inner hollow pipe shape, and holes 411 and 412 are formed in the lower and upper portions, respectively. A power cable 810 connected to the first heater 500 passes through the lower hole 411. A bolt portion 413 screwed to the end of the operation shaft 322 of the piston member 320 is formed at the lower end of the shaft member 410. The shaft member 410 is coaxially connected to the operation shaft 322.

The heat generating coupling member 420 may be coupled to the upper end of the shaft member 410 by welding or the like. Of course, the heat generating coupling member 420 may be integrally formed with the shaft member 410. The heat generating coupling member 420 is coupled to the inside of the moving body 200 while being coupled to the shaft member 410 and more specifically to the coupling portion 221 of the head portion 220. 5, the heat generating coupling member 420 has a receiving groove 421 for receiving the first heater 500 on a top surface thereof, that is, a surface facing the head portion 220, And is formed in a predetermined pattern. The receiving groove 421 has a hole 422 communicating with the inside of the shaft member 410. It is preferable that the receiving groove 421 is formed in a spiral shape around the hole 422 so that the contact area with the first heater 500 is as large as possible. The depth of the receiving groove 421 may be at least a depth corresponding to the thickness of the first heater 500 so that the first heater 500 may be completely buried. The surface of the heat generating coupling member 420 having the above-described structure where the receiving grooves 421 are formed is tightly coupled to the head unit 220 when the head unit 220 is coupled. Therefore, the time for heating the heat generating coupling member 420 and the time for heating the head unit 220 can be shortened by the heat of the first heater 500. That is, since the heating area of the heater 500 receives heat from the heater 500, the heating time of the moving body 200 can be shortened, and the thermal efficiency can be improved. .

The heat generating coupling member 420 is threaded on the outer circumferential surface of the heat generating coupling member 420 so as to be screwed on the inside of the coupling portion 221 of the head portion 220 so that heat transfer between the heat generating coupling member 420 and the heat coupling member 420 can be more directly and effectively performed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first heater 500 is formed in a shape corresponding to the receiving groove 421 and includes a heat generating metal accommodated in the receiving groove 421. The first heater 500 is a heating element that generates heat by a power source applied through the power cable 810. One end of the first heater 500 extends through the heat generating coupling member 420 to the inside of the shaft member 410 and is electrically connected to the power cable 810 inside the shaft member 410 Can be connected. Specifically, the first heater 500 may be divided into a helical spiral portion 510 and an extension portion 520 extending toward the shaft member 410 from one end of the helical portion 510. The helical portion 510 generates heat and the extension portion 520 is connected to the power cable 810.

Since the first heater 500 is installed in the connection shaft 400, the first heater 500 can effectively transmit heat to the connection shaft 400, and the first heater 500 ) Is unnecessary. Accordingly, the size of the product can be reduced, and a space for installing the spring 240 can be easily secured.

The second heater 600 is installed outside the valve body 100 to heat the valve body 100, as shown in FIGS. The second heater 600 includes a heater body 610 and a fastening member 620 for fastening the heater body 610.

The heater body 610 is formed of a rubber material having a built-in heating wire therein and is coupled to surround the outside of the valve body 100. The heater body 610 has a cutout 611 at one side thereof. The heater body 610 can be attached to and detached from the valve body 100 with the cut-out portion 611 opened. That is, if the valve body 100 needs to be cleaned, the cutter 611 is opened to remove the heater body 610 from the valve body 100, and after the cleaning is completed, the heater body 610 is coupled to the valve body 100 again . Therefore, it is possible to effectively clean only the valve body 100 while preventing damage to the second heater 600, thereby extending the service life of the product.

The fastening member 620 includes a cover 621 that encloses a portion of the outside of the heater body 610 and a locking portion 623 that is provided on the cover 621. The locking portion 623 is locked and separated by a so-called one-touch type, and serves to maintain the fastening force of the cover 621. Therefore, the cut-out portion 611 of the heater body 610 can be prevented from being opened by the fastening member 620. The cover 621 may be formed of heat-resistant nonwoven fabric or synthetic fiber, and the material thereof is not limited to the present invention.

The connector 700 is installed between the valve body 100 and the drive unit 300. That is, the connector 700 is screwed to the lower end of the valve body 100 and is fastened to the upper end of the cylinder 310 with a screw. The connector 700 is made of a metal material and has a plurality of exhaust holes 710 formed on the outer side thereof, and the inside thereof has a tubular shape vertically penetrating therethrough. The lower end of the connection shaft 400 and the operation shaft 322 are moved up and down within the connector 700. As described above, since a plurality of exhaust holes 710 are formed in the connector 700, the heat transmitted from the valve body 100 and the connection shaft 400 can be effectively cooled. Therefore, by minimizing the heat transmitted to the drive unit 300 through the connector 700, it is possible to prevent the drive unit 300 from being heated to lower the drive capability. For example, by minimizing the heat transmitted to the cylinder 310 through the connector 700, it is possible to effectively suppress the performance degradation of the lubricant or the like required for reciprocating movement of the piston member 320 by heat, 300) can be reduced and damage due to malfunctions can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the operation of the valve device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

2 and 3 show a state in which the inlet 110 of the valve body 100 is closed. When the inlet 110 is to be opened in this state, the working fluid flows into the cylinder chamber 311 of the cylinder 310 through the connection passage 312. Then, the piston member 320 is pushed by the working fluid and descends. Thus, the connecting shaft 400 connected to the piston member 320 and the head portion 220 are pulled down to open the inlet 110, as shown in FIG. As the head 220 is lowered, the bellows body 210 is contracted and the spring 240 is compressed. The first heater 500 generates heat by the power supplied through the power supply cable 810 to rapidly heat the moving body 200 to a predetermined temperature and the second heater 600 can heat the moving body 200 to the valve body 100). Therefore, it is possible to suppress the by-products contained in the gas passing through the valve body 100 from being adsorbed to the inside of the valve body 100 or the moving body 200.

7, when the inlet 110 of the valve body 100 is closed, the working fluid supplied to the cylinder chamber 311 is withdrawn again, so that the restoring force of the spring 240 and the bellows- The head portion 220 and the connecting shaft 400 are raised by the restoring force of the spring 210 to close the inlet 110.

Although the cylinder 310 and the piston member 320 have been described as an example of the drive unit 300 for driving the moving body 200 in the above description, It is obvious that a variety of driving devices capable of linearly reciprocating can be applied.

According to the valve device of the present invention as described above, the first heater is provided inside the valve body, and the first heater is installed so as to be in direct contact with the moving body while being positioned inside the connecting shaft, Time can be shortened. Further, the space for installation of the first heater can be saved, thereby making it possible to miniaturize the product.

Further, the heat generating area of the first heater can be ensured as wide as possible to improve the thermal efficiency.

Further, the second heater can be detachably attached to the outside of the valve body, so that the second heater can be separated during the cleaning work of the valve body. Therefore, it is possible to easily carry out the cleaning operation and to prevent damage to the second heater .

In addition, by forming a hole for air cooling in the connector connecting the valve body and the driving unit, heat transmitted to the driving unit through the connector can be minimized. Therefore, there is an advantage that the damage of the drive unit due to heat can be minimized.

Claims (8)

1. A valve device installed on a conduit connecting a chamber and a vacuum pump, the valve device being openable and closable to selectively transmit the pumping force of the vacuum pump to the chamber, A valve body having an inlet and an outlet; A moving body movably installed in the valve body to selectively open and close the inlet; A driving unit coupled to the valve body to move the moving body; A connecting shaft connecting the driving unit and the moving body; And a first heater installed on the connection shaft and heating the moving body, The connection shaft includes a pipe-shaped shaft member communicating with the upper and lower portions, respectively, the lower end of which is engaged with the drive unit; And a heat generating coupling member coupled to an inside of the moving body in a state of being coupled to an upper end of the shaft member and having a receiving groove for receiving the first heater in a predetermined pattern on a surface in contact with the moving body. Device. delete The valve device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving groove has one side communicating with the internal space of the shaft member and being formed in a spiral shape by being drawn into the heat generating coupling member. The power supply cable according to claim 1, wherein the first heater is formed in a shape corresponding to the receiving groove and is accommodated in the receiving groove, and extends through a hollow portion of the shaft member and connected through a lower end of the shaft member And a heating metal which is heated by an applied power source. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 4, A shrinkable and inflatable bellows body; A head connected to an upper portion of the bellows body to open and close the inlet and to couple the connecting shaft to the inside; A support provided at a lower end of the bellows body and coupled to the valve body; And And a spring installed inside the bellows body and pressing the bellows body in a direction in which the bellows body expands. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a second heater installed to surround the outside of the valve body, the second heater having a cut-out portion opened by an external force so as to be detachable from the valve body; And a locking member provided on the second heater to prevent the incision from being opened. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Further comprising a connector provided between the valve body and the drive unit and having a plurality of exhaust holes formed on an outer side thereof. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, A cylinder coupled to the connector; And a piston member installed to reciprocate within the cylinder and connected to the connection shaft.

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