KR101020364B1 - Gate valve and substrate processing apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of this invention is making it possible to hold | maintain a valve body in the state pressurized at the board | substrate delivery opening and exit, without the operating force of an actuator. The gate valve 200 is configured to advance and retract the valve body 210 by the cam mechanism 260 to open and close the substrate carrying in and out ports 112. The cam mechanism includes, for example, a long member 261 that is slidable in a direction orthogonal to the advancing direction of the valve body, a support roller 290 that supports the long member from the rear plate of the housing, and the valve body 210 so as to oppose it. And a plate-shaped cam 270 provided on the valve body driving roller side of the long member, and sliding the long member in one direction to close the valve body via the valve body driving roller. The valve body is held in the closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the substrate carrying in and out side at the elongate member at the position to close while advancing in the direction of pressing.

Description

Gate valve and substrate processing apparatus using the same {GATE VALVE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS USING THE SAME}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gate valve for opening and closing a carrying in and out of a substrate, and a substrate processing apparatus using the same.

In the substrate processing apparatus which performs predetermined processes, such as an etching and film-forming, with respect to a board | substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, or a flat panel display (FPD) board | substrate, such as a liquid crystal board | substrate, the board | substrate entrance / exit entrance for conveying a board | substrate is provided. And a plurality of chambers having a vacuum atmosphere inside the substrate carrying-out and closing state. Such chambers include, for example, a process chamber (including a reaction vessel) for performing substrate processing in a vacuum atmosphere, a transfer chamber for conveying substrates in a vacuum atmosphere, and a rod exchanging substrates between a vacuum atmosphere and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. Lock room etc. are mentioned.

In general, the gate valve is a vacuum valve that allows the transfer of the substrate when the chamber is closed as described above, and closes the chamber which becomes a vacuum atmosphere in an airtight state, and enables the transfer of the substrate when opened. It is also used to partition between chambers.

Specifically, the gate valve is provided with a long plate-shaped valve body formed horizontally so as to close the substrate entrance / exit for carrying in and out of the substrate in a horizontal position, and drives the valve body with an actuator such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder. The substrate carrying in and out are opened and closed. In this case, in order to move the valve body from the position which does not interfere at the time of conveyance of a board | substrate (for example, lower than a board | substrate carrying in and out) to a board | substrate carrying in and out, and to seal a board carrying in and out, the valve body is moved to a board | substrate carrying in and out by predetermined pressure. The substrate carrying out opening and closing is closed by closing while pressing.

As such a gate valve, for example, Patent Literature 1 provides a plate-shaped gate base that is lifted and lowered by a hydraulic cylinder in a housing provided on the side wall of the chamber, and connects both ends of the gate base and the valve body by a link. It is described to configure the parallel crank mechanism. According to this, when a valve body is raised with a gate base by driving a hydraulic cylinder, a valve body contacts a ceiling of a housing, is controlled by a ceiling, and is pushed forward. Thereby, it can block while pressurizing a board | substrate carrying out entrance only by driving the lifting hydraulic cylinder.

However, in the structure like patent document 1, since the gate base of the same magnitude | size must also be raised and lowered besides a valve body, it is necessary to enlarge the operating force of a hydraulic cylinder by that much. Furthermore, in addition to the lifting and lowering operation of the valve body only by the hydraulic cylinder for lifting and lowering, the operation of closing the board unloading inlet and outlet while pressurizing the valve body is also carried out. Large hydraulic cylinders are needed.

From this point of view, for example, as disclosed in Patent Literatures 2 and 3, the valve body itself is provided so as to be lifted and lowered, and the air cylinder for opening and closing is opened from the back of the valve body separately from the air cylinder for lifting and lowering the valve body. In some cases, the valve body is closed while pressurizing the valve body by the operating force. According to this, since the valve body is raised by driving the air cylinder for lifting and lowering, only the air cylinder for opening and closing can be driven, and the valve body can be closed by pressurizing the valve body to the board | substrate entrance / exit opening, Therefore, the burden of the air cylinder for lifting and lowering valve body I can alleviate it.

 [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1993-196150

 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-316916

 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-76845

However, in pressurizing a valve body to the board | substrate opening / exit opening by driving the opening / closing air cylinder provided separately from the lifting air cylinder as mentioned above, the opening / closing air cylinder also in order to hold | maintain a valve body in that state. The operating force of is required. For this reason, in order to keep the valve body closed while pressurizing it to the board | substrate carrying out opening and exit, it is necessary to operate the air cylinder for opening and closing continuously. This point is also as described in patent document 1, and it is necessary to continue operating a hydraulic cylinder in order to hold | maintain a valve body pressurized by a board | substrate carrying in and out opening.

In this case, for example, when an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder or an air cylinder breaks down, a power failure or the like occurs, the operating force of the actuator is lost, or when the operating force of the actuator decreases due to leakage of the working medium (working gas, hydraulic oil, etc.). The valve body may be opened due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the chamber.

Therefore, this invention is made | formed in view of such a problem, and the objective is the gate valve which can hold | maintain a valve body in the state pressurized by the board | substrate entrance / exit opening, even without the operating force of the drive means, such as an actuator which drives a valve body. And a substrate processing apparatus using the same.

In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, in the gate valve for opening and closing the substrate carrying in and out provided in the side wall of the chamber, the housing provided to surround the substrate carrying in and out on the side wall of the chamber, and the housing A lifting and lowering driving means for raising and lowering the valve body between the valve body opening and closing the substrate carrying in and out, a position facing the substrate carrying in and out and the position evacuated from the substrate carrying in and out; An opening / closing drive means constituted by a cam mechanism for advancing and retracting the valve body between a position facing the substrate carry-out and the position closed by pressing the substrate carry-out and the cam mechanism is provided on the rear side of the valve body. A long member disposed over the longitudinal direction of the valve body and movably supported by the housing; The valve body is pressurized and held in the closed position by pressurizing and driving the valve body in accordance with the operation of the elongated member, and by receiving the force (reaction force) pushed back from the substrate carrying in / out side by the elongate member. A gate valve is provided having a cam. In this case, the cam may be, for example, a plate cam or may be a rotary cam.

In order to solve the said subject, according to another viewpoint of this invention, in the substrate processing apparatus which performs a predetermined process with respect to a board | substrate, conveying a board | substrate to a some chamber, each said chamber is a board | substrate carrying in and out provided in the side wall. And a gate valve for opening and closing the valve, wherein the gate valve is provided on a side wall of the chamber so as to surround the substrate carrying in and out, and is provided so as to be liftable in the housing and opens and closes the substrate carrying in and out. And elevating drive means for elevating the valve body between a position facing the substrate carrying out opening and a position evacuated from the substrate carrying in and out, and closing the pressurizing position while pressing the position facing the substrate carrying in and out of the substrate carrying out opening. It is provided with the opening-closing drive means comprised by the cam mechanism which advances and retracts the said valve body between positions, The main cam mechanism is driven by a long member disposed on the rear side of the valve body in the longitudinal direction of the valve body and supported by the housing. The cam body is driven by pressing the housing from the long member, A substrate processing apparatus is provided having a cam for holding the valve body in the closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the substrate carrying in and out side at the long member. In addition, the said chamber is a process chamber which performs the process of a board | substrate, the conveyance chamber connected to this process chamber, and the load lock chamber connected to this conveyance chamber, for example.

According to this invention, when closing a board | substrate carrying in and out by a valve body, after elevating a valve body to the position which opposes a board | substrate carrying in and out by a lifting drive means, a long member is operated by opening / closing drive means. The valve body is pressurized and driven by the cam of the cam mechanism in accordance with the operation of the member. Thereby, a valve body advances and closes, pressurizing a board | substrate carrying out opening and exit, and a valve body can hold | maintain a valve body in this closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the board | substrate carrying in / out side by a long member. Thereby, for example, even if there is no operating force of the actuator for driving the elongate member, the valve body can be kept in a pressurized state at the substrate carry-out and inlet, and thus the valve body is not opened as in the prior art.

In addition, the cam is constituted by, for example, a plate-shaped cam, and the cam mechanism includes, for example, driving means for sliding the elongate member slidably supported by the housing in a direction orthogonal to the advancing direction of the valve body; A valve body driving roller for driving the valve body in contact with the cam surface of the plate-shaped cam provided between the member and the valve body may be provided, and the sliding motion of the elongate member may be converted into the forward and backward motion of the valve body. . In this case, the said plate-shaped cam slides the said elongate member in one direction, it contacts with the said valve body drive roller, advances the valve body drive roller to the direction which closes the said valve body, It is comprised so that it may have a 1st cam surface which moves to the closed position, while pressurizing, and the 2nd cam surface which maintains the said valve body in the said closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the said board | substrate carrying-in / out side by the said elongate member. It is desirable to.

According to this invention, when closing a board | substrate carrying out inlet and outlet by a valve body, after elevating a valve body to the position which opposes a board | substrate carrying inlet by a lifting / removing drive means, it slides a long member in one direction, The valve body is advanced while the roller is in contact with the first cam surface, and the valve body is closed while pressing the substrate unloading opening. Then, by sliding the elongate member further, the valve body is kept closed while pressing the substrate carry-out opening by the valve body driving roller on the second cam surface. At this time, even if there is no actuation force of the actuator which drives the elongate member, the valve body can hold | maintain by receiving by the elongate member the force pushed back from the board | substrate carrying-in / out side.

The said plate-shaped cam is provided in the valve side of the said elongate member, The said valve body drive roller is provided in the said valve body so that it may oppose the said elongate member, when the said valve body is in the position which opposes the said board | substrate carrying out opening. You may do so. Moreover, the said plate-shaped cam is provided in the elongate member side of the said valve body, The said valve body drive roller is the elongate member so that it may oppose the said valve body, when the said valve body is in the position which opposes the said board | substrate carrying in and out. It may be provided in. By arranging the plate-shaped cam and the valve body driving roller in this manner, the valve body can be pressurized by sliding the long member.

In addition, the valve body driving rollers are arranged in plural along the longitudinal direction of the valve body, and the plate-shaped cams are provided in the number corresponding to the valve body driving rollers, and the long member is slid. It is preferable that the valve body drive rollers are driven together to advance and retract the valve body, and the valve body drive rollers can be configured to be held in the closed position while pressurizing the valve body. According to this, since the number of the valve body drive rollers can be changed according to the size of the valve body in the longitudinal direction, even if the size of a valve body is large, a valve body can be hold | maintained by pressing with sufficient pressure force to seal it.

Moreover, you may provide the support member which supports the said elongate member from the back side so that the said elongate member may receive the force which the said elongate member receives from the said valve body (the force pushed back from the said board | substrate carrying-in / out side). In this way, since the long member is supported from the rear side, the long member is supported from the side opposite to the direction of the force received from the valve body, so that the long member can receive the force received from the valve body more strongly. As a result, the valve body can be held while the valve body is pressed more strongly.

In this case, the said support member may be comprised with the support roller provided in the back plate of the said housing, or the side wall of another chamber, and may be comprised with the support roller provided in the said elongate member. Furthermore, when the supporting member is constituted by the supporting roller, the supporting roller is disposed between the plate-shaped cam and the valve body driving roller and the elongate member when the valve body is in a position where the valve body is closed while pressing the substrate carrying out opening. It is preferable to arrange them so that they are arranged in a straight line. According to this, the force received from the valve body is transmitted to the elongate member via the valve body driving roller and the plate-shaped cam, and this force can be directly received via the elongate member from the support roller located on the opposite side of the straight line. Can receive the force from the valve body more powerfully. Thereby, a valve body can be hold | maintained while pressurizing a valve body more strongly.

The lift drive means includes an actuator that vertically lifts and lowers the valve body by stretching the piston rod, and the tip of the piston rod slides the valve body in the forward and backward direction with respect to the piston rod. It is preferable to support the said valve body from below through the mechanism. By the action of the valve body slide mechanism, the valve body can be opened and closed in the advancing direction independently of the lifting and lowering drive by the actuator. For this reason, since it is sufficient to fix to a predetermined position with respect to the actuator for lifting, a mechanism can be made into the extremely simple structure.

In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the gate valve for opening and closing the substrate carrying in and out provided in the side wall of the chamber, the housing provided to surround the substrate carrying in and out on the side wall of the chamber, and the housing A lifting and lowering driving means for raising and lowering the valve body between the valve body opening and closing the substrate carrying in and out, a position facing the substrate carrying in and out and the position evacuated from the substrate carrying in and out; An opening / closing drive means constituted by a cam mechanism for advancing and retracting the valve body between a position facing the substrate carry-out and the position closed by pressing the substrate carry-out and the cam mechanism is provided on the rear side of the valve body. A long member disposed over the longitudinal direction of the valve body and movably supported by the housing; A cam for pressurizing and driving the valve body in response to the operation of the long member, and pressurizing and holding the valve body in the closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the substrate carrying-out side by the long member; Drive means for sliding the elongated member slidably supported by the housing in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the valve body is retracted, and the cam surface of the plate-shaped cam provided between the elongated member and the valve body makes contact with the cam face. A valve body driving roller for driving the valve body, and a frame provided to surround the valve body driving roller and the plate-shaped cam, and converts the sliding action of the elongate member into a forward and backward motion of the valve body. A gate valve is provided.

In this case, the frame is mounted on the back plate of the housing or on the side wall of the other chamber with a gap from the back side of the valve body, and the valve body driving roller is rotatably mounted on a support provided in the frame. The support has a protrusion protruding toward the back side of the valve body, and is configured to be slidable so that the protrusion protrudes from a hole formed in the frame in accordance with the movement of the valve body driving roller. It is preferable to comprise so that the said valve body may open and close drive from the back side of the said valve body.

According to this invention, when closing a board | substrate carrying in and out by a valve body, after elevating a valve body to the position which opposes a board | substrate carrying in and out by a lifting drive means, a long member is operated by opening / closing drive means. According to the operation of the member, the valve body driving roller contacts the cam face of the plate-shaped cam to pressurize and drive the valve body. Thereby, a valve body advances and closes, pressurizing a board | substrate carrying out opening and exit, and a valve body can hold | maintain a valve body in this closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the board | substrate carrying in / out side by a long member. Thereby, even if there is no operation force of the actuator which drives a long member, for example, a valve body can be kept pressurized by the board | substrate delivery opening and exit, and a valve body does not open like conventionally. Furthermore, since the contact between the valve body driving roller and the plate-shaped cam is performed in the frame by providing the frame surrounding the valve body driving roller and the plate-shaped cam, for example, the valve body driving roller and the plate-shaped cam Even if particles are generated by the contact, the particles can be prevented from flying out of the frame.

Moreover, you may make it provide the support member in the said frame which supports the said elongate member from the back side so that the said elongate member may receive the force received from the said valve body. This support member is comprised by the support roller provided in the said frame, for example. According to this, since the contact of the elongate member and the supporting member which supports it from the back side is also performed in the frame, even if a particle is generated by this, it can prevent that particle from flying out of a frame.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gate valve and a substrate processing apparatus using the same, which can hold the valve body in a pressurized state at the substrate carry-out and exit even without an operating force of a drive means such as an actuator for driving the valve body.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Preferred embodiment of this invention is described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing below. In addition, in this specification and drawing, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol about the component which has substantially the same functional structure.

(Gate valve)

First, the gate valve which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings. 1A, 1B, 2A to 2C, 3A to 3C, and 4A to 4C are views for explaining the configuration of the gate valve of the present embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the valve body 210 of the size which can open and close the board | substrate carrying in and out 112 of the chamber 100 is provided, and this valve body 210 is driven up and down. And a gate valve 200 for opening and closing the substrate unloading opening 112 by driving forward and backward.

1A and 1B are cross-sectional views of the gate valve viewed from above when cut in a horizontal plane passing near the center of the substrate carrying out opening. 2A, 2B, and 2C are cross-sectional views of the gate valve viewed from the back when the gate valve is cut in a vertical plane parallel to the side wall of the chamber, and is a cross-sectional view of A-A shown in FIG. 1A. 3A, 3B, and 3C are cross-sectional views of the gate valve viewed from the side when the gate valve is cut from a vertical surface perpendicular to the side wall of the chamber, and is a B-B cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 2B. 4A, 4B, and 4C are perspective views for explaining the operation of the main part of the gate valve.

1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A show a state in which the valve body is in a position facing the substrate unloading inlet, and FIGS. 1B, 2B, 3B, and 4B show the valve body in the substrate unloading inlet 112. It shows the state in the position which blocks while pressing. 2C, 3C, and 4C show a state in which the valve body is evacuated from the substrate delivery port.

The chamber 100 in which the gate valve 200 which concerns on this embodiment is provided is arbitrary sealable chambers (including a container) which becomes a vacuum pressure atmosphere, For example, predetermined | prescribed things, such as an etching and film-forming, on an FPD board | substrate etc. A process chamber, a conveyance chamber, a load lock chamber, etc. in the substrate processing apparatus which perform a process are mentioned.

2C, 3C, and 4C, the chamber 100 is formed with a substrate carrying in and out opening 112 extending horizontally in the horizontal direction near the upper side of the side wall 110. Through 112, for example, it is possible to carry in and out with a conveyance arm etc. which do not show board | substrates, such as an FPD board | substrate.

Here, the edge frame 114 which surrounds the periphery of the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 is attached to the side wall 110 of the chamber 100. As shown in FIG. Thereby, even if a board | substrate crack and a shift generate | occur | produce, for example, when carrying out a board | substrate, such as a glass substrate, to the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112, it can protect so that the side wall 110 may not be damaged. If the edge frame 114 is not provided, if the side wall 110 near the substrate delivery port 112 is damaged, even if the substrate delivery port 112 is blocked by the valve body 210, the wound is not present. It may become a clearance gap and may not be able to maintain a sealed state. In this case, the container itself constituting the side wall 110 of the chamber 100 must be replaced.

In contrast, in the case where the edge frame 114 is provided on the side wall 110, even if a wound occurs on the side of the edge frame 114 when a substrate crack or the like occurs, it is possible to prevent the wound directly on the side wall 110. In this case, even if the rim frame 114 is damaged, since only the rim frame 114 needs to be replaced, the container itself of the chamber 100 does not need to be replaced, so that maintenance can be simplified and the chamber 100 can be replaced. It can also extend the service life.

The gate valve 200 is provided in the side wall 110 in which the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112 of this chamber 100 was formed, and it opens and closes the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112 by raising and lowering the valve body 210. . The valve body 210 is formed in a size that can block the substrate carrying out opening 112. And when closing the board | substrate carrying out opening 112, it presses and closes the board | substrate carrying out opening 112. Specifically, the valve body 210 is closed and sealed by pushing the valve body 210 to the wall surface around the substrate unloading opening 112.

For example, when providing the edge frame 114 in the side wall 110, the valve body 210 is pushed against the surface (valve body contact surface) of the edge frame 114, and the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 is closed. In this case, in order to enhance the sealing effect, it is preferable to provide a seal member (not shown) such as a zero ring on the surface of the frame frame 114 in contact with the valve body 210 so as to surround the substrate carrying out opening 112. desirable.

In addition, the edge frame 114 does not necessarily need to be provided. When the edge frame 114 is not provided, the substrate delivery opening 112 is closed by pushing the valve body 210 directly to the surface (valve body contact surface) of the side wall 110. In this case, it is preferable to provide a seal member such as a zero ring on the surface of the sidewall 110 in contact with the valve body 210 so as to surround the substrate carrying in / out port 112. In addition, instead of providing the sealing member on the wall surface (the surface of the side wall 110 or the surface of the edge frame 114) around the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112, the surface of the valve body 210 which contacts this wall surface You may provide so that the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 may be enclosed in the.

(Specific Configuration Example of Gate Valve)

Next, a specific structural example of the gate valve 200 will be described. As shown to FIG. 1A, FIG. 2A, FIG. 3A, the gate valve 200 is a substantially box-shaped housing (casing) provided in the side wall 110 of the chamber 100 so that the board | substrate delivery opening 112 may be surrounded at least. 202 is provided. The housing 202 has a back plate 202a that faces the side wall 110 in parallel, and has side plates 202b and 202c, a top plate 202d, and a bottom plate 202e, whereby the side wall 110 ) The back plate 202a of the housing 202 has an opening having the same shape as the substrate carrying in / out 112 at a position facing the substrate carrying in / out 112 in order to allow the substrate to pass through the substrate carrying in and out 112. 203 is formed.

The valve body 210 is supported in the housing 202 so as to be able to be lifted and lowered along the elevation guide, which will be described later with respect to the substrate loading and exit 112, and the opening and closing direction of the substrate loading and closing 112 along the opening and closing guide described later. It is supported to be able to advance and retreat. The gate valve 200 is a position (predetermined ascending position) facing the valve body 210 along the elevating guide to the substrate unloading opening 112 and a position to evacuate from the substrate unloading opening 112 (predetermined lowering position). By the cam mechanism 260 between the elevating drive means 230 which moves up and down between the position which opposes the valve body 210 to the board | substrate carrying in and out 112, and the position which closes | closes, pressing the board | substrate carrying in and out 112. It is provided with the opening-closing drive means 250 to advance.

The lifting guide and opening / closing guide of the valve body 210 are configured as follows, for example. Here, the lifting guide guides the valve body 210 to rise vertically, and the opening and closing guide guides the valve body 210 to open and close horizontally. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2A, a pair of guide rails 220 arranged on the left and right sides of the substrate carrying in and out 112 in the side wall 110 of the chamber 100 and extending vertically. ) Is provided. The guide rail 220 is provided with the slider 222 which can slide along these, respectively. Each slider 222 is provided with the guide rod (support rod) 224 which protruded from the back surface in the horizontal advancing direction of the valve body 210, respectively. Each guide rod 224 is slidably fitted to the insertion hole 212a of the valve body supporting plate 212 provided to protrude outward from the end on the left and right of the valve body 210.

According to this configuration, the valve body 210 can be vertically lifted and lowered by moving the slider 222 along the guide rail 220. In addition, the valve body 210 can be horizontally moved forward and backward along the guide rod 224 in the direction of opening and closing the substrate loading / unloading port 112. The configuration of the lifting guide and the opening and closing guide is not limited to the above.

By the way, in the guide rod 224 mentioned above, the press member (for example, coil spring) 226 is interposed between the valve body support plate 212 and the slider 222. The pressing member 226 presses the valve body 210 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the valve body 210 is pushed onto the substrate delivery port 112 (open direction). Furthermore, the guide rod 224 is provided with a stop member 224a at its tip, so that the valve body support plate 212 does not fall from the guide rod 224. In addition, the stopping member 224a may be configured to extend the diameter of the guide rod 224 from the insertion hole 212a, for example, or may be constituted by a separate member such as a stopping ring.

In addition, the stop member 224a restricts the valve body 210 from being separated from the substrate carry-out port 112 by a predetermined interval or more. That is, since the valve body 210 is supported at the position stopped from the stop member 224a by the pressing force of the pressing member 226 (the position farthest from the substrate unloading opening 112), it is always predetermined from the substrate unloading opening 112. It can be raised at intervals of. According to this, the valve body 210 can be raised always to the same position between the board | substrate carrying in and out 112 and the cam mechanism 260. FIG.

In addition, when the valve member drive roller 280 drives the cam body (slope 272, plane 274) by the action of the cam mechanism 260 mentioned later, the pressurizing member 226 mentioned above, The valve body driving roller 280 also acts to press the cam surface (slope 272, plane 274) so as not to fall off. Thereby, since the valve body drive roller 280 can be driven along the cam surface (slope 272, plane 274), the operation | movement of the valve body 210 can be stabilized, and the valve body 210 can be moved. Opening and closing can be performed reliably.

(Lift drive means)

Next, a specific configuration example of the lift drive means 230 will be described with reference to the drawings. The lift drive means 230 includes a position facing the substrate carrying in and out 112 (for example, positions shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A) and a position evacuating from the substrate carrying in and out 112 (eg, FIG. 2C). , The valve body 210 is elevated up and down along the guide rail 220 between the positions shown in FIG. 3C).

Specifically, as shown in Figs. 2A and 2C (or Figs. 3A and 3C), the elevation driving means 230 is constituted by an actuator 232 capable of linear linkage. As such an actuator 232, although the air cylinder, the hydraulic cylinder, etc. which can linearly move by expanding and contracting the piston rod 234 are mentioned, it is not limited to these. Here, the case where the actuator 232 is comprised by an air cylinder is taken as an example.

Specifically, the actuator 232 is formed in the bottom plate 202e and the bottom plate 202e of the housing 202 so that the piston rod 234 is inserted into the housing 202 from the airtight through hole 204a. ) Is mounted. Then, by supporting the valve body 210 at the tip of the piston rod 234 from below, the actuator 232 is stretched (driven up and down) by the piston rod 234 by a predetermined stroke, thereby providing a valve body ( 210 may be moved up and down along the guide rail 220 in the vertical direction. In addition, when the piston rod 234 is expanded and contracted while maintaining the airtightness in the housing 202, the piston rod 234 is inserted through the bush which is not shown in the through-hole 204a.

The front end of the piston rod 234 supports the valve body 210 via the valve body slide mechanism 240 provided in the center portion of the lower surface of the valve body 210. This valve body slide mechanism 240 is for making it possible to support the valve body 210 so that the piston rod 234 can move in a forward-rearward direction (opening-closing direction).

The structural example of such a valve body slide mechanism 240 is shown to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B. In the valve body slide mechanism 240, as shown in FIG. 5A, the frame portion 242 is attached to the lower surface of the valve body 210 by fastening members 243 such as bolts. An insertion hole 242a for inserting the tip of the piston rod 234 is formed in the bottom portion of the frame portion 242.

In the frame portion 242, a guide body 244 is provided that enables movement of the valve body 210 in the advancing direction relative to the tip of the piston rod 234. Specifically, the plurality of rolling members 245 provided on the upper surface of the guide body 244 are in contact with the lower surface of the valve body 210 to rotatably support the valve body 210. In addition, as the transmission member 245, a spherical member may be sufficient and a cylindrical member may be sufficient.

In the lower surface of the guide body 244, a recess 246 such as a groove is formed, for example, and the tip of the piston rod 234 is in contact with the recess 246. Specifically, the tip of the piston rod 234 has an upper surface curved head 236 extending through the diameter reducing portion 235, so that the head 236 is the recess 246 of the guide body 244. ) Is intended to be inserted. As a result, the guide body 244 is supported by the tip of the piston rod 234.

By such a configuration, the valve body 210 is supported by the tip of the piston rod 234 via the guide body 244, and the valve body 210 supports the guide body 244 at the tip of the piston rod 234. It can move to an advancing direction (opening-closing direction) via it. For example, when the valve body 210 is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out 112, even if the valve body 210 is advanced from the position shown in FIG. 5A to the position shown in FIG. 5B, the valve body 210 may be a piston rod 234. It is possible to move on the guide body 244 while being supported by), so that only the valve body 210 can be moved in the horizontal direction without advancing and retracting the piston rod 234 and the guide body 244.

By the action of the valve body slide mechanism 240, the valve body 210 can be opened and closed in the advancing direction independently of the lifting and lowering drive by the actuator 232. For this reason, since it is sufficient to fix to the actuator 232 for elevating to a predetermined position, a mechanism can be made very simple. That is, when driving the valve body 210 forward and backward, a complicated configuration such as a mechanism capable of driving the actuator 232 itself forward and backward can be made unnecessary.

In addition, the size of each part which comprises the valve body slide mechanism 240 (for example, the size of the frame part 242, the insertion hole 242a, the size of the guide body 244, the transmission member 245, etc.), It is preferable to determine according to the horizontal movement amount of the valve body 210. In addition, although the case where the diameter reduction part 235 was formed in the piston rod 234 was demonstrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the diameter reduction part 235 does not need to be formed. 5A, 5B, the diameter reduction part 235 is formed, and the piston rod 234 is arrange | positioned so that the position of the diameter reduction part 235 may match the position of the insertion hole 242a, and a insertion hole is provided. Since the valve body 210 can be moved until the inner edge portion of the 242a is drawn into the diameter reducing portion 235, the insertion hole 242a can be made smaller so that the stroke of the valve body 210 is lengthened. can do.

(Opening and closing drive means)

Next, the opening-closing drive means 250 is demonstrated, referring drawings. The opening / closing drive means 250 is a position facing the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 (position shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 2A, FIG. 3A), and the position which close | closes, while pressing the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 (FIG. 1B, It is comprised by the cam mechanism 260 which advances and retracts the valve body 210 along the guide rod 224 in the opening and closing direction between the positions shown to FIG. 2B, FIG. 3B. The cam mechanism 260 which concerns on this embodiment takes the case comprised by what is called a straight cam mechanism. Here, the long member 261 in which the plate-shaped cam 270 is mounted is slid along the valve body 210 in the direction orthogonal to the advancing direction, and the valve body 210 is formed at the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270. ) Is moved in the advancing direction, and at the same time, the valve body 210 can be held in a state where the valve body 210 is pushed to the substrate carry-out and exit 112 in the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270.

The driving means for driving the elongate member 261 is configured by an actuator 252 such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, which can linearly slide the elongate member 261. Here, the case where the actuator 252 is comprised by the air cylinder which can linearly expand and contract the piston rod 254 is taken as an example. In addition, the actuator 252 is not limited to these.

The structure of this cam mechanism 260 is demonstrated in more detail. For example, as shown to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the elongate member 261 is comprised so that it may become longer than at least the length of the valve body in the longitudinal direction, and the valve body 210 near the back plate 202a of the housing 202. ) Along the longitudinal direction. The long member 261 and the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 are spaced apart so that the valve body 210 may be inserted, without interfering, when it raises and lowers.

The elongate member 261 in this embodiment is comprised so that sliding of the rod-shaped member 262 arrange | positioned one each at the upper side and the lower side of the opening part 203 of the housing 202 is possible. As a result, the substrate and the transfer arm can be prevented from interfering with the cam mechanism 260 when the substrate is transported, and the valve body 210 is not inclined when the valve body 210 is opened and closed. Advance horizontally with respect to 112.

Specifically, the end of each rod-shaped member 262 protrudes from the side plates 202b and 202c, respectively, and the contact portions with the rod-shaped members 262 of the side plates 202b and 202c are respectively resins, for example. The bush 263 which consists of these parts is attached and it can slide slidingly. In addition, the end part of each rod-shaped member 262, for example, the end part which protrudes from the side plate 202c, is fixed and integrated by the plate-shaped joint member 264, respectively. The distal end of the piston rod 254 of the actuator 252 is attached to the joint member 264. Thereby, each rod-shaped member 262 can be integrated and slid simultaneously simultaneously only by stretching the piston rod 254 with one actuator 252. In this case, the actuator 252 is attached to the outer side of the side plate 202c via the support member 256, for example.

Each rod-shaped member 262 of the elongate member 261 is a back plate 202a of the housing 202 by a plurality of support rollers 290 protruding from the inner surface of the back plate 202a of the housing 202. ) Is rotatably supported. In FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, although the example regarding the case where four support rollers 290 were provided in each rod-shaped member 262 at regular intervals was mentioned, the number and arrangement | positioning positions of the support rollers 290 are necessarily in this case. It is not limited and may be one by one or five or more (for example, eight each). In addition, when the elongate member 261 is comprised by one rod-shaped member, you may provide one support roller 290 or you may provide in multiple numbers. You may make it adjust the number and position of the support roller 290 according to the length, weight, etc. of the valve body 210 in the longitudinal direction. For example, the longer the length of the valve body 210 in the longitudinal direction, the larger the number of the supporting rollers 290, and the shorter the number of the supporting rollers 290. In addition, although the case where each rod-shaped member 262 is formed in plate shape as an example is mentioned, it is not necessarily limited to this, For example, a square cylinder shape may be sufficient. In addition, a cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape may be sufficient.

The support roller 290 is a roller 294 rotatable in contact with the back surface of each bar-shaped member 262, and a support for mounting the roller 294 on the inner surface of the back plate 202a to rotatably support it. 292). Furthermore, the back plate of each rod-shaped member 262 is provided with a backing plate 276 at the contact portion with the roller 294, and protects the surface of each rod-shaped member 262, and the roller 294 is padded. By making the surface of the board 276 rotate, the movement of the elongate member 261 becomes smoother. The long member 261, the back plate 276, and the roller 294 including each of the rod-shaped members 262 may be made of the same material, or may be made of different materials. For example, the elongate member 261 is comprised by stainless steel (registered trademark), and the back plate 276 and the roller 294 are comprised by resin.

On the other hand, as shown to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 2C, FIG. 4C, the valve body 210 is provided with the some valve body drive roller 280 in the upper surface and the lower surface, respectively. Each valve body driving roller 280 protrudes from the back surface of the valve body 210 to the long member 261 side so as to contact each plate-shaped cam 270 when the long member 261 is slid. Each valve body drive roller 280 is provided in the same number as the support roller 290. And when the valve body 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112, the valve body driving roller 280 will angle each rod-shaped member 262 of the elongate member 261, respectively. It is arrange | positioned at the valve body 210 so that the support roller 290 may be opposed. The valve body driving roller 280 is a roller 284 rotatable in contact with the plate-shaped cam 270, and a support 282 for rotatably supporting the roller 284 by mounting it on the valve body 210. It is composed by.

Each rod-shaped member 262 of the elongate member 261 is provided with a plurality of plate-shaped cams 270 on the valve body 210 side for contacting and driving the plurality of valve body driving rollers 280, respectively. have. The plate-shaped cam 270 slides the elongate member 261 in one direction to contact the valve body driving roller 280 and close the valve body driving roller 280 in the direction of closing the valve body 210. Drive the valve body by the slope 272 as a 1st cam surface which advances and moves to the position which occludes the board | substrate carrying in and out of 112, and the force which the valve body 210 pushes back from the board | substrate carrying in and out of 112 side. It receives the back plate 202a of the housing 202 via the roller 280 and the support roller 290, and has the plane 274 as a 2nd cam surface which hold | maintains the valve body 210 in a closed position.

The slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270 increases the thickness from the long member 261 along the sliding direction of the long member 261 (to allow the valve body driving roller 280 to slowly move forward or backward). The inclined slope is formed, and the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270 is the position where the thickness of the first cam surface becomes thickest (the position where the valve body 210 closes while pressing the substrate carrying out opening 112). The thickness is made up of continuous planes.

The slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270 moves the valve body 210 gradually when the sliding member 261 slides in the tensioning direction to pressurize the substrate carrying-out port 112 so that the valve body driving roller ( 280) is a driveable slope. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270 is gradually lowered from the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270 toward the actuator 252 side. It becomes a slope.

In addition, the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270 is not limited to the above-mentioned thing, When the valve body 210 advances gradually when it slides in the direction which pushes the elongate member 261, the board | substrate unloading opening ( It is good also as a slope which can drive the valve body drive roller 280 so that 112 may be pressed. In this case, although not shown, the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270 becomes a slope where the height gradually decreases from the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270 toward the side opposite to the actuator 252. In this case, since the valve body drive roller 280 contacts and moves to the slope 272 when it slides in the direction which pushes the elongate member 261, the slope surface 272 from the valve body drive roller 280 at that time. The force received by the elongate member 261 via) acts as a compressive force. For this reason, since the long member 261 may buckle depending on the magnitude | size of the force which the long member 261 receives, the shape and material of the long member 261 are designed so that the long member 261 may not buckle. Needs to be.

On the other hand, if it is the slope 272 as shown in FIG. 1A, since the valve body drive roller 280 contacts and moves to the slope 272, when it slides in the direction which tensions the elongate member 261, then The force exerted by the valve body driving roller 280 from the slope 272 acts as a tensile force of the long member 261 and does not act as a compressive force, so that the long member 261 can be buckled. .

According to such a cam mechanism 260, as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 3A, when the valve body 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying in and out 112, the piston rod 254 is driven by driving the actuator 252. As shown in FIG. ), The elongated member 261 is slid in the direction in which the elongate member 261 is tensioned (the arrow direction shown in Fig. 1A). Then, the valve body driving rollers 280 are in contact with the inclined surface 272 of each of the plate-shaped cams 270 at once, and the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the long member 261 along the slope 272 [ The valve body 210 moves in the direction of advancing toward the substrate unloading opening 112. Thereby, the valve body 210 moves forward in the direction which closes the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 through these valve body drive rollers 280, and contacts the circumference | surroundings of the board | substrate carrying-in opening 112, and gradually pushes it in, Lose.

Thereafter, when the elongate member 261 is further tensioned, the valve body driving rollers 280 are placed on the plane 274 of each plate-shaped cam 270 in unison. Thereby, as shown to FIG. 1B and FIG. 3B, the valve body 210 is hold | maintained in the state pushed by the board | substrate carrying in and out 112. As shown in FIG.

In this way, when the valve body 210 pushes the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112, the force (force by reaction) returned by the valve body 210 from the board | substrate carrying-in / out side is the valve body drive roller 280 and support. It can be received at the back plate 202a of the housing 202 via the roller 290. Thereby, the valve body 210 can be maintained in a closed position. Therefore, in the state in which the valve body driving rollers 280 are placed on the plane 274, the valve body 210 is pushed onto the substrate carrying in and out 112 without the need of maintaining the operating force of the actuator 252. It can be kept firm in the closed position of the furnace.

Thus, the movement of the cam mechanism 260 and the valve body 210 at the time of holding the valve body 210 in a closed position is demonstrated in detail, referring drawings. 6A to 6C are enlarged views for explaining the movement of the cam mechanism 260 and the valve body 210 by focusing on one plate-shaped cam 270. First, when the valve body 210 rises from the downward evacuation position along the guide rail 220 to the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying out opening 112, as shown in FIG. 6A. At this time, the elongate member 261 is in the initial position, and the valve body driving roller 280 has not yet contacted the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270.

Subsequently, when the elongate member 261 is pulled in the direction of the arrow shown by the operating force of the actuator 252, the valve body driving roller 280 is sloped (shown in FIG. 6B) of the plate-shaped cam 270. 272, and then move further along slope 272. At this time, since the valve body driving roller 280 is pressurized by the pressing member 226 in the direction of contact with the slope 272, the valve body driving roller 280 reliably moves along the slope 272 without falling off the slope 272. As a result, the valve body 210 moves in the direction of closing the substrate carrying in and out 112, and when the valve body 210 comes into contact with the wall surface around the substrate carrying in and out 112, in this case, the wall surface of the frame rim 114, the wall face is further made. While pressurizing, the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 is closed.

When the elongate member 261 is further tensioned from this state, the valve body driving roller 280 is placed on the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270 as shown in Fig. 6C. Thereby, the valve body 210 is maintained in the state which closed the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112, pressing the wall surface around the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112. As shown in FIG.

Thus, according to this embodiment, when the valve body 210 pushes the valve body 210 to the wall surface of the periphery of the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 by the wedge action by the plate-shaped cam 270, By receiving the force pushed back from the wall surface at the back plate 202a of the housing 202 via the valve body driving roller 280 and the support roller 290, the valve body 210 is connected to the substrate delivery port 112. In the pressurized state, it is mechanically held between the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 and the back plate 202a of the housing 202. FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6C, each support roller 290 has a plane 274 and each valve body driving roller of each plate-shaped cam 270 when the valve body 210 is in the closed position. 280 and the elongate member 261 are arrange | positioned so that it may be arranged in a straight line. In this way, the force received from the valve body 210 is transmitted to the elongate member 261 via each valve body driving roller 280 and each plate-shaped cam 270, and each support which positions this force on the opposite side on the straight line is carried out. Since the roller 290 can be directly received via the elongate member 261, the elongated member 261 can more strongly receive the force received from the valve body 210. As a result, the valve body 210 can be held in the closed position while the valve body 210 is pressed more strongly. For this reason, even if the operating force of the actuator 252 is not kept, the valve body 210 can be firmly held in the closed position in the state which pushed the valve body 210 to the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112. FIG.

As described above, according to the gate valve according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to pressurize the valve body 210 by the action force of the actuator 252 as in the prior art. In addition, the valve body 210 has a frictional force such that the valve body 210 overcomes the gravity of the valve body 210 according to the magnitude of the force received from the back plate 202a of the housing 202 and the force received from the substrate carry-out / inlet 112. Since it can act, the valve body 210 can be supported so as not to fall even if the actuator 232 for elevating is not operated.

Therefore, even if the actuators 232 and 252 do not operate due to a failure of the actuators 232 and 252 or the disconnection of the power supply, for example, the valve body 210 does not open. In addition, the actuators 232 and 252 do not need to be large enough to pressurize the valve body 210 as in the prior art. For example, the actuator 252 is sufficient to be small enough to move the valve body driving roller 280 from at least the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270 to the plane 274. In addition, the actuator 232 is small enough to at least lift the valve body 210 against its gravity. For this reason, the whole gate valve can be miniaturized. Thereby, manufacturing cost can be reduced significantly.

Moreover, since the valve body 210 itself can also be reduced in size and weight, the actuators 232 and 252 can be further smaller in size. In addition, when raising and lowering the valve body 210, as shown in FIG. 6A, the valve body 210 and the valve body driving roller 280 are predetermined from the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 and the plate-shaped cam 270, respectively. Since it can move in the state separated by the distance, it can prevent that it collides with the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 and the plate-shaped cam 270 at the time of the lifting of the valve body 210, and the like. In addition, since the actuating force of the actuators 232 and 252 is not necessary because the valve body 210 is kept in a closed state, when the actuators 232 and 252 are constituted of, for example, an air cylinder, the consumption amount of air, which is the operating medium thereof, is reduced. We can cut drastically.

(Operation of the gate valve)

Next, a series of operations of the gate valve according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, when the valve body 210 is in the evacuation position below the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 shown to FIG. 3C, FIG. 4C, it is called the home position of the valve body 210. FIG.

First, a series of operations when driving from the time when the valve body 210 is in the evacuation position to the position where the valve body 210 is closed while pressing the substrate delivery port 112 will be described. By extending the piston rod 234 by operating the actuator 232 from the lower evacuation position shown in FIGS. 3C and 4C to the position opposite to the upper substrate unloading and exit 112 shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A. , The valve body 210 is raised along the guide rail 220.

Subsequently, the actuator 252 is operated to shorten the piston rod 254 so that the long member 261 is slid in the tensioning direction, and the valve body 210 is advanced in the direction of closing the substrate inlet and outlet 112. . As a result, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B, the valve body 210 closes the substrate delivery port 112 and is closed while pushing the substrate delivery port 112 with a constant pressing force, and is kept in that state. . In this way, since the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 is closed and sealed by the valve body 210, after that, processing of a board | substrate becomes possible, for example, pressure-reducing the chamber 100 to predetermined vacuum pressure. At this time, as mentioned above, the valve body 210 is mechanically held between the back plate 202a of the housing 202 and the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 by the wedge action of the cam mechanism 260. As shown in FIG.

Next, a series of operations at the time of opening the substrate carrying out opening 112 will be described. The actuator 252 is operated from the position shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B to extend the piston rod 254 to slide in the direction in which the long member 261 is pushed out, and the valve body 210 is moved out of the substrate outlet 112. Retract in the direction of opening. This returns to the position shown to FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A.

Subsequently, the piston rod 234 is operated by operating the actuator 232 from the position facing the upper substrate carrying in and opening 112 shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A to the lower evacuation position shown in FIGS. 3C and 4C. ), The valve body 210 is lowered along the guide rail 220. Thereby, the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 is open | released, and since the valve body 210 returns to an initial position, carrying out of the board | substrate with respect to the chamber 100 becomes possible.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the long member 261 is slidably supported by the side plates 202b and 202c of the housing 202, and the long member 261 is further configured to receive the force received from the valve body 210. It was comprised so that the elongate member 261 may be supported also from the back side by the support roller 290. Thus, by supporting the elongate member 261 by the support roller 290 not only from the side plates 202b and 202c of the housing 202 but also from the back side, it differs from the direction of the force received from the valve body 210. Since it is also supported from the opposite side, the elongate member 261 can receive the force received from the valve body 210 (the force returned by the valve body 210 from the board | substrate delivery opening and exit 112 side) more powerfully. Thereby, the valve body 210 can be maintained in a closed position in the state which pressed the valve body 210 more strongly. In addition, the support roller 290 does not necessarily need to be provided, and the elongate member 261 may be slidably supported only by the side plates 202b and 202c of the housing 202.

In addition, arrangement | positioning of the support roller 290 is not limited to what is shown to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B. That is, in the cam mechanism 260 shown to FIG. 1A and 1B, although the support roller 290 was provided in the back plate 202a of the housing 202, it demonstrated, but it is not limited to this, It supports The roller 290 may be provided in the long member 261.

Specifically, for example, as in the first modification shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the support roller 290 protrudes from the elongate member 261 to the back plate 202a of the housing 202, and the back plate thereof. You may provide so that it may become rotatable at 202a. In addition, the back plate 276 may be provided at a contact portion with the support roller 290 of the back plate 202a. Even if it arrange | positions in this way, the support roller 290 can support the elongate member 261 from the back side so that the elongate member 261 may receive the force received from the valve body 210. In this case, each support roller 290 is a flat member 274 of each plate-shaped cam 270, each valve body driving roller 280, and the elongate member 261 when the valve body 210 is in the closed position. It is preferable to arrange them so that they are arranged in a straight line with the) in between.

According to such a structure, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the state which the valve body 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate delivery opening and exit 112, the valve body is tensioned by tensioning the elongate member 261 in the arrow direction shown. 210 moves forward. Furthermore, by tensioning the elongate member 261 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 7B, the valve body driving roller 280 is placed on the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270. Thereby, the valve body 210 is maintained in the state which closed the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112, pressing the wall surface around the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112. As shown in FIG.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, each support roller 290 has a plane 274 of each plate-shaped cam 270, each valve body driving roller 280, and an elongate member 261 interposed therebetween. It will be listed on a straight line. By arrange | positioning each support roller 290 in this way, it can hold | maintain the valve body 210 in a closed position in the state which pressed the valve body 210 much more strongly like the case shown in FIG. 1B.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the support roller 290 was applied as a support member which supports the elongate member 261 from the back side was demonstrated, if the elongate member 261 can be slidably supported, It is not limited to the support roller 290.

In addition, in the said embodiment, as shown to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, each plate-shaped cam 270 is provided in the valve body 210 side of the elongate member 261, and each valve body drive roller 280 is provided. Although the case where the valve body 210 is provided in the valve body 120 so that it may oppose the elongate member 261 when the valve body 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112 was demonstrated as an example, it is limited to this. no.

For example, like the 2nd modification shown to FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the plate-shaped cam 270 is provided in the elongate member 261 side of the valve body 210, and the valve body drive roller 280 is a valve body. When 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying-out opening 112, you may make it provide in the elongate member 261 so that the valve body 120 may be opposed. In this case, each support roller 290 is a flat member 274 of each plate-shaped cam 270, each valve body driving roller 280, and the elongate member 261 when the valve body 210 is in the closed position. It is preferable to arrange them so that they are arranged in a straight line with the) in between.

According to such a structure, as shown in FIG. 8A, in the state which the valve body 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying out opening 112, the valve body is tensioned by tensioning the elongate member 261 in the arrow direction shown. 210 moves forward. Furthermore, by tensioning the elongate member 261 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 8B, the valve body driving roller 280 is placed on the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270. Thereby, the valve body 210 is maintained in the state which closed the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112, pressurizing the wall surface around the board | substrate carrying-out inlet 112. As shown in FIG.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8B, each support roller 290 has the plane 274 of each plate-shaped cam 270, each valve body driving roller 280, and the elongate member 261 interposed therebetween. It will be listed on a straight line. By arrange | positioning each support roller 290 in this way, it can hold | maintain the valve body 210 in a closed position in the state which pressed the valve body 210 much more strongly like the case shown in FIG. 1B. Furthermore, in this case, like the 3rd modification shown to FIG. 9A and 9B, not only each valve body drive roller 280 but also each support roller 290 is provided in the elongate member 261. As shown in FIG. You may do so. In this case, it is preferable to arrange | position each support roller 290 so that it may line up with each valve body drive roller 280 linearly with the elongate member 261 interposed.

According to such a structure, as shown in FIG. 9A, in the state which the valve body 210 is in the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying out opening 112, the valve body is tensioned by tensioning the elongate member 261 in the arrow direction shown. 210 moves forward. Furthermore, by pulling the elongate member 261 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 9B, the valve body driving roller 280 is placed on the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270. Thereby, the valve body 210 keeps the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 closed while pressing the wall surface around the board | substrate carrying out opening 112. As shown in FIG.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 9B, each support roller 290 has the plane 274 of each plate-shaped cam 270, each valve body drive roller 280, and the elongate member 261 interposed between them. It will be listed on a straight line. By arrange | positioning each support roller 290 in this way, it can hold | maintain the valve body 210 in a closed position in the state which pressed the valve body 210 much more strongly like the case shown in FIG. 1B.

By the way, in the said embodiment, when opening and closing the valve body 210 by driving the elongate member 261, the valve body driving roller 280 and the plate-shaped cam 270 receive the force from the valve body 210, Because of the contact, depending on the magnitude of the force received and the materials of the valve body driving roller 280 and the plate-shaped cam 270, they may come into contact with particles, which may scatter around. There exists a possibility that a particle may similarly generate | occur | produce between the support roller 290 and the overlay plate 276 which contacts this. Thus, for example, as in the fourth modification shown in Figs. 10A, 11A, and 12A, the long member 261 is formed by the elongated member 261 for each valve body driving roller 280 and each support roller 290. It may be surrounded by the frame 300 which can be inserted together with the 270 and the adding plate 276.

The gate valve according to the fourth modification is described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10C, 11A, 11B, 12A, and 12B. 10A to 10C are enlarged views for explaining the movement of the cam mechanism 260 and the valve body 210 by focusing on one plate-shaped cam 270. 11A and 11B are cross sectional views showing a schematic configuration of the entire gate valve according to the fourth modification, and FIGS. 12A and 12B are longitudinal cross-sectional views thereof. 11A and 12A are views when the valve body 210 is in a position facing the substrate unloading opening 112, and FIGS. 11B and 12B show the valve body 210 pressing the substrate unloading opening 112. It is a figure when it is in the position to block | close.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the valve body drive roller 280 and the support roller 290 of a 4th modification are provided in the substantially box-shaped frame 300. As shown in FIG. The frame 300 is attached to the back plate 202a so that the clearance gap with the valve body 210 may be empty. The long member 261 is inserted into the holes 303 and 304 formed at both ends of the frame 300 together with the plate-shaped cam 270 and the backing plate 276, and the valve body driving roller 280 and the support roller. It is adapted to slide between 290.

The support roller 290 is comprised by rotatably mounting the roller 294 to the support body 292 fixed to the back plate 202a side in the frame 300. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the valve body drive roller 280 is comprised by rotatably mounting the roller 284 to the support body 282 mounted slidably on the valve body 210 side in the frame 300. As shown in FIG.

That is, the support body 282 in the fourth modification is slidably supported by the pair of guide rods 302 attached to the valve body 210 side in the frame 300. The support body 282 here has the projection part 282a which protruded to the valve body 210 side (opposite side of the roller 284), and this support part 282a slides back and forth, and the projection part 282a is frame 300 It is made to drive from the hole 306 formed in ().

According to this, the support body 282 advances to the valve body 210 side by the roller 284 contacting and rolling on the plate-shaped cam 270. Thus, from the state shown in FIGS. 10A, 11A, and 12A in which the protrusion 282a does not protrude from the frame 300, FIGS. 10C, 11B, and 12B in which the protrusion 282a protrudes from the frame 300. It will be in the state shown to be able to pressurize and close the valve body 210. FIG. Thus, in the fourth modification, the projection 282a is in contact with the valve body 210 so as to be opened and closed in the advancing direction. In addition, the support body 282 may be made to press the back plate 202a side by the press member, such as the coil spring and the leaf spring which are not shown in the frame 300. According to this, the support body 282 can be retracted by the pressing force of the pressing member.

The operation of the fourth modification of this configuration will be described in more detail with reference to Figs. 10A to 10C. First, when the valve body 210 rises along the guide rail 220 from the downward evacuation position to the position which opposes the board | substrate carrying out opening 112, as shown in FIG. 10A. At this time, the elongate member 261 is in the initial position, the valve body driving roller 280 is not yet in contact with the slope 272 of the plate-shaped cam 270, the projection 282a also from the frame 300 Not protruding

Subsequently, when the elongate member 261 is pulled in the direction of the arrow shown by the operating force of the actuator 252, the valve body driving roller 280 is inclined to the plate cam 270 as shown in Fig. 10B. 272, and then move further along slope 272. Thereby, the projection part 282a also protrudes from the frame 300, contacts the valve body 210, pressurizes the valve body 210, and moves to the direction which closes the board | substrate carrying out opening 112. FIG. And when the valve body 210 contacts the wall surface of the periphery of the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 (in this case, the wall surface of the edge frame 114), the board | substrate carrying out opening 112 is closed while pressing the wall surface further.

When the elongate member 261 is further tensioned from this state, the valve body driving roller 280 is placed on the plane 274 of the plate-shaped cam 270 as shown in Fig. 10C. Thereby, the valve body 210 is maintained in the state which closed the board | substrate carrying out opening 112, while pressing the wall surface around the board | substrate carrying out opening 112. As shown in FIG.

Thus, also by the 4th modification, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment or another modification, the force which the valve body 210 returns from a board | substrate carrying in / out side when the valve body 210 pushes against the board | substrate carrying in / out 112. (Reaction force) can be received by the back plate 202a of the housing 202 via the projection 282a, the valve body driving roller 280, and the support roller 290. Thereby, the valve body 210 can be maintained in a closed position. Therefore, in the state in which the valve body driving rollers 280 are placed on the plane 274, the valve body 210 is pushed onto the substrate carrying in and out 112 without the need of maintaining the operating force of the actuator 252. It can be kept firm in the closed position of the furnace.

Furthermore, according to the fourth modification, the contact between the valve body driving roller 280 and the plate-shaped cam 270 and the contact roller 290 and the back plate 276 are performed in each frame 300. Therefore, even if particles are generated due to their contact, it is possible to prevent the particles from scattering outside the frame 300.

(Application example of gate valve)

Next, the specific application example of the gate valve which concerns on each embodiment of this invention mentioned above is demonstrated, referring drawings. Here, the specific example at the time of applying to a multichamber type FPD substrate processing apparatus is given. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of an FPD substrate processing apparatus. The FPD substrate processing apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 13 is provided with the common conveyance chamber 410 which accommodates the conveyance robot (not shown) provided with the conveyance arm which conveys a board | substrate, and the several process chambers ( 420A, 420B, and 420C) and the load lock chamber 430 are provided. These common transfer chambers 410, each of the processing chambers 420A, 420B, and 420C, and the load lock chamber 430 constitute a hermetic chamber which becomes a vacuum pressure atmosphere as described above.

In the FPD substrate processing apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 13, the common transfer chamber 410, the respective processing chambers 420A, 420B, and 420C and the load lock chamber 430 around the gate valve 200 according to the present embodiment, respectively. Is connected via). In addition, the gate valve 200 may be provided at a substrate carrying in / out port for carrying in and out of the substrate from the transport arm on the atmospheric pressure side of the load lock chamber 430.

The gate valve 200 is also provided between two chambers in a vacuum atmosphere, such as between the processing chambers 420A, 420B, and 420C and the common transport chamber 410, between the load lock chamber 430 and the common transport chamber 410. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the other chamber 100 such that the opening 203 of the gate valve 200 is disposed at the position of the substrate inlet and outlet 112 of the other chamber 100. May be mounted on the back plate 202a of the housing 202 of the gate valve 200.

In addition, when providing the gate valve 200 between two chambers 100, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the housing 202 omits the back plate 202a, and is shown in FIG. 2A. The side plates 202b and 202c, the top plate 202d, and the bottom plate 202e may be surrounded by the respective chambers 100. In this case, each support roller 290 may be provided in the side wall 110 of the other chamber 100, as shown in FIG. 15, and although not shown in figure, each support roller 290 is provided in a long member. It may be provided in 261, and the additional plate may be provided in the side wall 110 of the other chamber 100. As shown in FIG.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the gate valve 200 is provided in the side wall 110 of each chamber 100, respectively, for example, and the position of the opening part 203 of one gate valve 200 is shown, for example. You may arrange | position so that the back plate 202a of each housing 202 may be mounted so that the opening part 203 of the other gate valve 200 may be arrange | positioned at the side.

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it goes without saying that this invention is not limited to this example. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be reached within the scope described in the claims, and that they naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the said embodiment, although the case where the cam which pressurizes a drive or hold | maintains a valve body was demonstrated with the plate-shaped cam, it is not limited to this, You may comprise with a rotating cam. In this case, for example, the long member is rotatably supported by the housing, and the rotation cam is fixed to the long member. The rotating cam may be driven by rotating the elongate member to pressurize or maintain the valve element on the cam surface of the rotating cam.

(Industrial availability)

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to a gate valve for opening and closing a substrate carrying in and out of a chamber and a substrate processing apparatus using the same.

1A is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the valve element is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

1B is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the above embodiment, wherein the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port;

FIG. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the above embodiment, in which the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

FIG. 2B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the above embodiment, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port; FIG.

2C is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the embodiment, wherein the valve body is in an evacuation position;

3A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the above embodiment, wherein the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

3B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the above embodiment, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port;

3C is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the embodiment, wherein the valve element is in an evacuation position;

4A is a perspective view showing the operation of the main part of the gate valve according to the embodiment, wherein the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

Fig. 4B is a drawing showing the operation of the main part of the gate valve according to the embodiment, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate carrying in and out openings,

Fig. 4C is a perspective view showing the operation of the main part of the gate valve according to the embodiment, when the valve body is in the evacuation position,

FIG. 5A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration example of the valve body slide mechanism in the above embodiment, wherein the valve body is at a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration example of the valve body slide mechanism in the above embodiment, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port; FIG.

Fig. 6A is a cross sectional view for explaining the operation of the cam mechanism according to the embodiment, when the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

Fig. 6B is a cross sectional view for explaining the operation of the cam mechanism according to the embodiment, when the valve body is in a position where it starts to move toward the substrate carrying in and out;

FIG. 6C is a cross sectional view for explaining the operation of the cam mechanism according to the above embodiment, in which the valve body is in a position where the valve body is closed while pressing the substrate delivery port; FIG.

7A is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a first modification of the gate valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

FIG. 7B is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to the first modification, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port; FIG.

8A is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a second modification of the gate valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

8B is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a second modification, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port;

FIG. 9A is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a third modification of the gate valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

FIG. 9B is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a third modification, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port; FIG.

10A is a partially enlarged view showing a schematic configuration of a fourth modification of the gate valve according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the valve body is in a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

10B is a partially enlarged view showing the schematic configuration of the gate valve according to the fourth modification, and is a view when the valve body is in a position where it starts to move toward the substrate carrying in and out;

10C is a partially enlarged view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a fourth modification, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port;

11A is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a fourth modification, when the valve body is at a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

FIG. 11B is a cross sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a fourth modification, in which the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate delivery port; FIG.

12A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a fourth modification, when the valve body is at a position opposite to the substrate carrying in and out;

12B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a gate valve according to a fourth modification, in which the valve body is in a closed position while pressing the substrate delivery port;

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus to which the gate valve in the embodiment is applied; FIG.

14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a first application example of a gate valve in the embodiment;

15 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a second application example of a gate valve in the embodiment;

16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a third application example of the gate valve in the above embodiment.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

100: chamber 110: side wall 112: substrate carrying in and out

114: frame 200: gate valve 202: housing

202a: back plate 202b, 202c: side plate 202d: ceiling plate

202e: bottom plate 203: opening 204a: through hole

210: valve body 212: valve body supporting plate 212a: insertion hole

220: guide rail 222: slider 224: guide bar

224a: stopping member 226: urging member 230: elevating drive means

232: actuator for lifting 252: actuator for opening and closing

234: piston rod 235: diameter reduction 236: head

240: valve body slide mechanism 242: frame portion

242a: insertion hole 243: fastening member 244: guide body

245: transmission member 246: recess 250: opening and closing drive means

252: actuator 254: piston rod 256: support member

260: cam mechanism 261: long member 262: rod-shaped member

263: bush 264: joint member 270: plate-shaped cam

272: slope 274: plane 276: backing plate

280: roller for driving the valve body 282: support

282a: protrusion 284: roller 290: support roller

292 support 294 roller 300 frame

302: guide rods 303, 304, 306: holes

400: FPD substrate processing apparatus 410: common transport chamber

420A, 420B, 420C: Process chamber 430: Load lock chamber

Claims (17)

In the gate valve for opening and closing the substrate carrying in and out provided on the side wall of the chamber, A housing provided on the sidewall of the chamber to surround the substrate loading / exit opening; A valve body provided to move up and down within the housing, and configured to open and close the substrate carrying in and out openings; Elevating drive means for elevating and lowering the valve body between a position facing the substrate carrying in and out and a position evacuated from the substrate carrying in and out; It is provided with the opening-closing drive means comprised by the cam mechanism which advances and retracts the said valve body between the position which opposes the said board | substrate carrying in and out, and the position which is closed while pressing the board | substrate carrying in and out, The cam mechanism is pressurized to drive the valve body in accordance with the operation of the long member and the long member disposed on the back side of the valve body in the longitudinal direction of the valve body and movably supported by the housing. It has a cam which pressurizes and maintains a said valve body in the said closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the said board | substrate carrying-in / out side by the said elongate member, The said valve body characterized by the above-mentioned. Gate valve. The method of claim 1, The cam is a plate-shaped cam, The cam mechanism includes drive means for sliding the long member slidably supported by the housing in a direction orthogonal to the advancing direction of the valve body, and a cam surface of the plate-shaped cam provided between the long member and the valve body. And a valve body driving roller for driving the valve body in contact with and converting the sliding motion of the elongate member into the forward and backward motion of the valve body. Gate valve. The method of claim 2, The plate-shaped cam is closed by sliding the elongate member in one direction, contacting the valve body driving roller, advancing the valve body driving roller in the direction of closing the valve body, and pressing the substrate carrying out opening. And a second cam surface for holding the valve body in the closed position by receiving, at the closing member, a force that is pushed back from the substrate carrying in / out side by the valve body. Gate valve. The method of claim 2, The plate-shaped cam is provided on the valve body side of the long member, The said valve body drive roller is provided in the said valve body so that the said valve body may oppose the said elongate member, when the said valve body is in the position which opposes the said board | substrate carrying in and out characterized by the above-mentioned. Gate valve. The method of claim 2, The plate cam is provided on the long member side of the valve body. The said valve body drive roller is provided in the said elongate member so that the said valve body may oppose the said valve body, when the said valve body is in the position which opposes the said board | substrate carrying in and out characterized by the above-mentioned. Gate valve. The method of claim 2, The valve body drive rollers are arranged in plural along the longitudinal direction of the valve body, and the plate-shaped cams are provided by the number corresponding to the valve body drive rollers. By sliding the elongate member, all the valve body driving rollers are driven together to advance and retract the valve body, and the valve body driving rollers are configured to be maintained in the closed position while pressing the valve body. Characterized Gate valve. The method of claim 2, The support member which supports the said elongate member from the back side was provided so that the said elongate member may receive the force received from the said valve body, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Gate valve. The method of claim 7, wherein The support member is made of a support roller provided on the back plate of the housing or the side wall of the other chamber. Gate valve. The method of claim 7, wherein The support member is composed of a support roller provided on the long member. Gate valve. The method of claim 7, wherein The support member is made of a support roller, The support roller is disposed so that the valve body is arranged in a straight line with the plate-shaped cam and the valve body driving roller and the long member interposed therebetween when the valve body is in a position to close while pressing the substrate carrying out opening. Characterized Gate valve. The method of claim 1, The lifting and lowering drive means is constituted by an actuator for vertically raising and lowering the valve body by stretching and expanding the piston rod, The front end of the piston rod supports the valve body from below through a valve body slide mechanism capable of sliding the valve body in the advancing direction with respect to the piston rod. Gate valve. In the substrate processing apparatus which performs a predetermined process with respect to a board | substrate, conveying a board | substrate to several chambers, Each chamber is provided with a gate valve for opening and closing the substrate entrance and exit provided on the side wall, The gate valve may include a housing provided on the sidewall of the chamber to surround the substrate loading / exit opening, a valve body provided to be able to move up and down in the housing, and a position opposite to the substrate loading / exit opening. And elevating drive means for elevating the valve body between the position evacuated from the substrate carrying in and out, and a cam for advancing and retrieving the valve body between the position opposite to the substrate carrying in and the position of closing the pressurizing the substrate carrying out. It is provided with the opening-closing drive means comprised by the mechanism, The cam mechanism is driven by a long member disposed on the back side of the valve body in the longitudinal direction of the valve body and supported by the housing, and pressurized and driven by the valve body from the long member, and the valve The cam has a cam for holding the valve body in the closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the substrate carrying-out side at the elongate member. Substrate processing apparatus. 13. The method of claim 12, The said chamber is a process chamber which performs the process of a board | substrate, the conveyance chamber connected to this process chamber, and the load lock chamber connected to this conveyance chamber, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Substrate processing apparatus. In the gate valve for opening and closing the substrate carrying in and out provided on the side wall of the chamber, A housing provided on the sidewall of the chamber to surround the substrate loading / exit opening; A valve body provided to move up and down within the housing, and configured to open and close the substrate carrying in and out openings; Elevating drive means for elevating and lowering the valve body between a position facing the substrate carrying in and out and a position evacuated from the substrate carrying in and out; It is provided with the opening-closing drive means comprised by the cam mechanism which advances and retracts the said valve body between the position which opposes the said board | substrate carrying in and out, and the position which is closed while pressing the board | substrate carrying in and out, The cam mechanism is pressurized to drive the valve body in accordance with the operation of the long member and the long member disposed on the back side of the valve body in the longitudinal direction of the valve body and movably supported by the housing. A plate-shaped cam which pressurizes and holds the valve body in the closed position by receiving the force pushed back from the substrate carrying-out side by the valve body at the closing position; and the long member slidably supported by the housing. Drive means for sliding in a direction orthogonal to the advancing direction of the valve body, a valve body driving roller for driving the valve body in contact with a cam surface of the plate-shaped cam provided between the elongate member and the valve body, and the valve And a frame provided to surround the sieve driving roller and the plate-shaped cam, and the sliding copper of the elongate member. The work is converted into the advancing and retracting operation of the valve body. Gate valve. The method of claim 14, The frame is mounted to the back plate of the housing or to the side wall of the other chamber with a gap from the back side of the valve body, The valve body driving roller is rotatably mounted to a support provided in the frame, The support body has a protruding portion protruding on the back side of the valve body, and is configured to be slidably so as to protrude from the hole formed in the frame in accordance with the movement of the valve body driving roller. The valve body is configured to open and close the valve body from the rear side of the valve body. Gate valve. The method of claim 15, A support member is provided in the frame that supports the long member from the rear side thereof so that the long member receives a force received from the valve body. Gate valve. The method of claim 16, The supporting member is composed of a supporting roller provided in the frame. Gate valve.

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