KR102661608B1 - Cryopump with improved regeneration speed - Google Patents

Abstract

A cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigerator that has a first stage unit and a second stage unit, and cools the first stage unit and the second stage unit using a high-pressure refrigerant; a two-stage panel cooled by the two-stage stage unit and including at least one first fastening part in at least one array; a first-stage panel thermally connected to the first-stage stage unit and including a radiation shield surrounding the second-stage panel and the first stage unit and including a second fastening part corresponding to the first fastening part; a housing that is open on one side, the refrigerator is coupled to the other side, and includes a through hole corresponding to the second fastening portion; and an elastic part that is inserted into the through hole, is fixed to the first fastening part and the second fastening part, and expands and contracts in a vertical direction to enable vertical position adjustment of the first and second stage panels.

Description

Cryopump{CRYOPUMP WITH IMPROVED REGENERATION SPEED}

The present invention relates to cryopumps.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the matters described in this identification are not prior art to the claims of this application, and are not acknowledged to be prior art by being described in this identification.

The cryopump is equipment that vacuums the vacuum chamber where the object to be processed is located during the manufacturing process of OLED displays, semiconductors, IT devices, etc.

As shown in Figure 1, the cryopump has a first-stage stage and a radiation shield combined, and a second-stage stage and a second-stage array, so that the first-stage panel and the second-stage panel can be fixed inside the housing. there is.

This cryopump is an adsorption pump, which creates a cryogenic region inside the pump and creates a vacuum by condensing and removing gas in the cryogenic region.

In general, cryopumps are adhesion pumps, so when a certain amount of gas is collected, it becomes saturated and gas can no longer be discharged, so a regeneration process must be performed periodically.

In other words, after the cryopump collects a certain amount of gas, a regeneration process is required to raise the temperature inside the pump above room temperature and return the pump to its initial state before exhaustion.

This regeneration process combines the cryopump's panels with a cryogenic refrigerator, so the refrigerator stops operating in the warm-up phase, which raises the temperature of the panels, and then the cool-down phase, which lowers the temperature of the panels again. It takes a considerable amount of time to restart the freezer in the CoolDown stage.

Accordingly, there was a problem that the operating efficiency of the process equipment was also reduced due to the regeneration process.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0061742 (published on June 8, 2018)

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and the expansion and contraction part is coupled to the panel formed inside the housing, and the up and down position of the panel can be adjusted by expanding the expansion and contraction part, thereby shortening the regeneration time of the cryo pump. The purpose is to provide a pump.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a refrigerator that has a first stage unit and a second stage unit, and cools the first stage unit and the second stage unit using a high-pressure refrigerant; a two-stage panel cooled by the two-stage stage unit and including at least one first fastening part in at least one array; a first-stage panel thermally connected to the first-stage stage unit and including a radiation shield surrounding the second-stage panel and the first stage unit and including a second fastening part corresponding to the first fastening part; a housing that is open on one side, the refrigerator is coupled to the other side, and includes a through hole corresponding to the second fastening portion; and an elastic part that is inserted into the through hole, is fixed to the first fastening part and the second fastening part, and expands and contracts in a vertical direction to enable vertical position adjustment of the first and second stage panels.

The expandable portion may include a solanoid valve at one end.

It may further include a control unit that controls the operation of the expansion and contraction unit by supplying power to the solanoid valve during the regeneration process of the cryopump.

The expandable portion may further include an expandable pipe that extends upward so that the first-stage panel and the second-stage panel are lifted upward and separated from the refrigerator during a regeneration process of the cryopump.

The outer peripheral surface of the expansion pipe may be composed of an insulating member.

The insulation member may be made of G-10 epoxy material.

The expandable portion may further include a cylinder that extends the expandable tube upward during the regeneration process of the cryopump.

The first stage panel and the second stage panel may not be coupled to the refrigerator.

The cylinder may pull the expandable tube downward so that the second-stage panel comes into contact with the second-stage stage and the first-stage panel comes into contact with the first stage when the cryopump is driven.

The connection between the elastic part and the first fastening part and the second fastening part may be a bolting coupling.

The expansion pipe can be inserted into the through hole to maintain an internal airtight state of the housing.

During the regeneration process of the cryopump, the refrigerator may be operating.

According to the present invention constituted by the solution described above, the following effects are achieved.

In the cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention, an elastic part is coupled to a panel formed inside the housing, and the panel and the freezer can be separated by expansion and contraction of the elastic part, thereby shortening the regeneration time of the cryopump. there is.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a cryopump according to the prior art.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing a cross-section of the cryopump before the cryopump regeneration process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram showing a cross section of the cryopump during the regeneration process of the cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram comparing the time required for the regeneration process of a cryopump according to the prior art and a cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing thermal conductivity according to temperature according to the material of the insulation member.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the description are omitted, and similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to “include” a certain element, this means that it may further include other elements rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary. In addition, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part throughout the specification, this means not only when it is directly connected, but also when it is connected through another member in the middle, or electrically between other elements in the middle. This also includes cases where they are connected. Furthermore, throughout the specification of the present application, when a member is said to be located “on” another member, this includes not only the case where a member is in contact with another member, but also the case where another member exists between the two members. In addition, expressions such as “first,” “second,” etc. used in this specification can modify various components regardless of order and/or importance, and are used to distinguish one component from another component. It is only used and does not limit the corresponding components, and does not necessarily mean other components. For example, 'first direction' and 'second direction' may mean the same direction or different directions.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cryopump 1 before the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of the cryopump 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. ) This is a diagram showing a cross section of the cryopump 1 during the regeneration process.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cryopump 1 includes a refrigerator 10, a second-stage panel 20, a first-stage panel 30, a housing 40, and expandable parts 50, 51, and 53. ) may include.

Here, the cryopump 1 may be formed in a structure in which the refrigerator 10 is vertically coupled to the other side of the housing 40.

The refrigerator 10 includes a first stage unit 11 and a second stage unit 13, and the first stage unit 11 and the second stage unit 13 can be cooled using a high-pressure refrigerant. .

Here, as high-pressure helium gas flows into the cylinder of the refrigerator 10, the pressure inside the cylinder increases, and as the displacer moves up and down, the high-pressure helium gas expands adiabatically in a short period of time, creating a cryogenic environment. there is.

By repeating this process, the first stage part 11 and the second stage part 13 included in the refrigerator 10 can be cooled.

Meanwhile, the two-stage panel 20 may be cooled by the two-stage stage unit 13 and include at least one first fastening part 23 coupled to at least one array 21.

The first-stage panel 30 is thermally connected to the first-stage stage unit 11 and may include a radiation shield 31. Here, the radiation shield 31 surrounds the second stage panel 20 and the first stage part 11 and may include a second fastening part 33 formed at a position corresponding to the first fastening part 23. .

At this time, the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 may not be coupled to the refrigerator. That is, the first stage panel 30 may not be fastened to the first stage unit 11, and the second stage panel 20 may not be fastened to the second stage unit 13.

As will be described later, the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 are in contact with the refrigerator through the expansion and contraction portions 50, 51, and 53 (in this case, the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 ) is maintained in a low or ultra-low temperature state), and can be separated.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the array 21 is one of the elements constituting the two-stage panel 20, and when the refrigerator 10 is cooled, the array 21 is used in the second stage of the refrigerator 10. The temperature of the array 21 connected to (13) drops below a certain temperature, allowing gas to be collected inside the housing 40.

The array 21 includes at least one first fastening part 23, and can be coupled to the expandable pipe 53 of the expandable parts 50, 51, and 53 through the at least one first fastener 23. there is.

Additionally, the arrays 21 of the two-stage panel 20 may be combined with each other to form an integrated structure.

Specifically, as the arrays 21 of the two-stage panel 20 are coupled to each other, the arrays provided on the upper part of the two-stage panel 20 move together upward or downward through the first fastening part and the fixed expansion pipe. It can be.

Meanwhile, when the refrigerator 10 is cooled, the first stage panel 30 includes a radiation shield 31 connected to the first stage part 11 of the refrigerator 10 and a baffle 35 connected to the radiation shield 31. ) temperature falls below a certain temperature, allowing gas to be collected inside the housing 40.

The radiation shield 31 includes a second fastening part 33 formed at a position corresponding to the first fastening part 23, and the expansion pipe 53 can pass through the second fastening part 33. That is, the radiation shield 31 can be coupled through the expansion pipe 53 through the second fastening portion 33.

Activated carbon is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second-stage stage part 13 to further collect gas that was not captured in the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20.

For example, the two-stage panel 20 consisting of at least one array 21 can collect argon, nitrogen, and oxygen, and includes a baffle 35 and a radiation shield ( The first stage panel 30 including 31) can collect water, and the activated carbon of the second stage part 13 can collect hydrogen, helium, and neon. there is.

Meanwhile, the housing 40 is open on one side, the refrigerator 10 is inserted and coupled to the other side, and a through hole 41 may be formed at a position corresponding to the second fastening portion 33.

The housing 40 is a vacuum container for isolating the inside and outside of the cryopump 1, and can be configured to keep the pressure airtight.

Additionally, a through hole 41 is formed in the housing 40 at a position corresponding to the second fastening portion 33, so that the expandable pipe 53 can be inserted.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the expansion pipe 53 is inserted into the through hole 41 formed in the housing 40, and the first fastening portion 23 formed in the two-stage panel 20 ) and can be fixed to the second fastening portion 33 formed on the first-stage panel 30.

The cylinder 50 can expand and contract the expandable pipe 53 in the vertical direction to enable vertical position adjustment of the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20.

Cylinder 50 may be a pneumatic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

For example, in a pneumatic cylinder, when air is applied to the inside of the cylinder 50, the piston (not shown) provided inside the cylinder 50 moves straight upward due to pneumatic pressure, and is connected to the piston (not shown). The expandable pipe 53 expands upward. Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved upward. On the other hand, when the pneumatic pressure inside the cylinder 50 is removed, the piston (not shown) returns to its original position by the elastic part (not shown) provided inside the cylinder 50, and the expansion tube 53 is located at the bottom. It is reduced to . Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved downward.

However, it is not limited to this, and the linear movement of the piston provided inside the cylinder 50 can move linearly downward when pneumatic pressure is applied to the inside of the cylinder 50, and the linear movement of the piston provided inside the cylinder 50 can be performed by removing the pneumatic pressure inside the cylinder 50. In some cases, it can move straight upward.

For another example, in a hydraulic cylinder, when hydraulic oil is applied to the inside of the cylinder 50, the piston (not shown) provided inside the cylinder 50 moves straight upward due to hydraulic pressure, and an expansion pipe connected to the piston ( 53) expands upward. Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved upward. On the other hand, when the hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 50 is removed, the piston (not shown) is returned to its original position by an elastic part (not shown) provided inside the cylinder 50, and the expansion pipe 53 is located at the bottom. It is reduced to . Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved downward.

However, it is not limited to this, and the linear movement of the piston provided inside the cylinder 50 can move linearly downward when hydraulic pressure is applied to the inside of the cylinder 50, and the linear movement of the piston provided inside the cylinder 50 can be performed to remove hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 50. In some cases, it can move straight upward.

The cylinder 50 is an expansion pipe 53 so that the second stage panel 20 is in contact with the second stage part 13 and the first stage panel 30 is in contact with the first stage part 11 when the cryopump is driven. ) can be pulled downward. In addition, the cylinder 50 can extend the expansion pipe 53 upward so that the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 are lifted upward and separated from the refrigerator 10 during the regeneration process. .

Here, the elastic parts 50, 51, and 53 may further include a solanoid valve 51 at one end.

The solanoid valve 51 is provided with an electromagnetic coil wound in a circular manner inside the valve, and when power is supplied to the electromagnetic coil, the solanoid valve 51 can be automatically opened and closed using the electromagnetic force of the electromagnetic coil. .

Here, the solanoid valve 51 may simply be composed of a solanoid valve 51 using electromagnetic force, but is not limited thereto, and may include a pneumatic solanoid valve 51 using air, a hydraulic solanoid valve using fluid ( 51), etc.

For example, when the cylinder 50 is a pneumatic cylinder, the solanoid valve may be configured as a pneumatic solanoid valve 51. When power is supplied to the pneumatic solanoid valve 51, the pipe connected to the cylinder 50 is opened, and air is supplied inside the cylinder 50 using a pneumatic pump connected to the solanoid valve 51. And the expansion pipe 53 can move straight upward by pneumatic pressure. Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved upward. On the other hand, when power is cut off to the pneumatic solanoid valve 51, the pipe connected to the cylinder 50 is closed and the pneumatic pressure inside the cylinder 50 is reduced, so that the elastic unit provided inside the cylinder 50 As a result, the piston returns to its original position, and the expansion pipe 53 shrinks to the lower part. Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved downward.

For another example, when the cylinder 50 is a hydraulic cylinder 50, the solanoid valve 51 may be configured as a hydraulic solanoid valve 51. When current is supplied to the hydraulic solanoid valve 51, the pipe connected to the cylinder 50 is opened, and hydraulic oil is supplied inside the cylinder 50 using a hydraulic pump connected to the solanoid valve 51. And the expansion pipe 53 can move linearly upward by hydraulic pressure. Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved upward. On the other hand, when the current is blocked in the hydraulic solanoid valve 51, the pipe connected to the cylinder 50 is closed, the hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 50 is reduced, and the elastic unit provided inside the cylinder 50 As a result, the piston returns to its original position and the expansion pipe 53 shrinks to the lower part. Accordingly, the two-stage panel 20 connected to the expansion pipe 53 can be moved downward.

In this way, when power is supplied to the solanoid valve 51, the solanoid valve 51 is opened to expand the expansion pipe 53, and when power is cut off to the solanoid valve, the solanoid valve 51 is blocked. As a result, the expansion tube 53 can be reduced.

Meanwhile, the cryopump 1 includes a control unit (not shown) that supplies power to the solanoid valve 51 during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 to control the operation of the expansion and contraction units 50, 51, and 53. It may further include.

For example, the control unit may perform control based on the internal temperature of the housing 40, supply power to the solanoid valve 51 during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1, and When the temperature value measured by the temperature sensor provided inside reaches a preset temperature value, the power of the solanoid valve 51 can be cut off.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1, the cylinder 50 extends the expansion pipe 53 upward to form the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20. It can be separated from the refrigerator (10). That is, during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1, the expansion pipe 53 can be separated from the freezer 10 by lifting the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 upward.

Figure 4 is a diagram comparing the time required for the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 according to the prior art and the cryopump 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Here, the existing T1 is a graph showing the temperature change over time of the first stage unit 11 during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 according to the prior art, and the existing T2 is a graph showing the temperature change over time of the cryopump 1 according to the prior art. This is a graph showing the temperature change over time of the second stage unit 13 during the regeneration process of 1).

In addition, improvement T1 is a graph showing the temperature change over time of the first stage unit 11 during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and improvement T2 is an embodiment of the present invention. A graph shows the temperature change of the second stage unit 13 over time during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the time required for the regeneration process of the cryopump 1 according to the prior art is about 110 minutes, while the regeneration process for the cryopump 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention It can be seen that the time required for the poem is about 30 minutes, which is a significant reduction in time.

This means that during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1, the first stage panel 30 and the second stage panel 20 can be separated from the freezer 10, so that regeneration can be performed with the freezer 10 operating. Because there is.

That is, according to the present invention, during the regeneration process of the cryopump 1, regeneration is performed by raising only the temperature of the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 while the refrigerator 10 is operating, Afterwards, the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 come into contact with the operating refrigerator 10, thereby greatly shortening the cooldown time.

Meanwhile, the connection between the expansion pipe 53 and the first fastening part 23 and the second fastening part 33 may be configured as a bolting connection.

Meanwhile, the outer peripheral surface of the expansion pipe 53 may be composed of an insulating member.

The outer peripheral surface of the expansion pipe 53 is made of an insulating member, which prevents the expansion pipe 53 from leaking heat from the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 to the outside of the housing 40. there is.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing thermal conductivity according to temperature according to the material of the insulation member.

Referring to FIG. 5, the insulation member may be made of G-10 epoxy material with very low thermal conductivity.

G-10 epoxy refers to a laminate made by impregnating thermosetting resins such as epoxy and silicone into glass fabric and heating and pressurizing them in a high-pressure multi-stage press. Compared to metal, it has a smaller specific gravity, excellent strength, adhesion, and dimensional stability. , It has excellent insulation, thermal conductivity, heat resistance and electrical properties.

As the insulation member is made of G-10 epoxy material with low thermal conductivity, the expansion tube 53 transfers heat from the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel 20 to the housing 40 through the expansion tube 53. ) can be more effectively prevented from leaking out.

However, it is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 5, the insulation member may be made of a material with low thermal conductivity such as Kapton, nylon, Teflon, etc.

The expansion pipe 53 can be inserted into the through hole 41 to maintain the internal airtightness of the housing 40.

Since the housing 40 is a vacuum container for isolating the inside and outside of the cryopump 1 and must be able to keep the pressure airtight, the expandable tube 53 can be inserted into the through hole 41 adjacently.

At this time, the expansion pipe 53 may be inserted into the through hole 41 in an interference fit format, but is not limited to this, and the housing 40 may be formed in various ways, such as forming the outer peripheral surface of the expansion pipe 53 with a highly elastic material. ) may maintain internal confidentiality.

As described above, according to the cryopump 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the expansion pipe 53 is coupled to the first-stage panel 30 and the second-stage panel formed inside the housing 40 to expand and contract. As the panel and the freezer 10 can be separated by expansion and contraction of the pipe 53, the regeneration time of the cryopump 1 can be shortened.

The description of the present invention described above is for illustrative purposes, and those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. There will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. For example, each component described as single may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

In addition, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

1: Cryo pump
10: Freezer
11: 1st stage part
13: 2nd stage part
20: 2-stage panel
21: array
23: first fastening part
30: 1st stage panel
31: copy shield
33: second fastening part
35: baffle
40: housing
41: Through hole
50: cylinder
51: solanoid valve
53: New building

Claims (12)

In the cryopump,
A refrigerator having a first stage unit and a second stage unit, and cooling the first stage unit and the second stage unit using a high pressure refrigerant;
a two-stage panel cooled by the two-stage stage unit and including at least one first fastening part in at least one array;
a first-stage panel thermally connected to the first-stage stage unit and including a radiation shield surrounding the second-stage panel and the first stage unit and including a second fastening part corresponding to the first fastening part;
a housing that is open on one side, the refrigerator is coupled to the other side, and includes a through hole corresponding to the second fastening portion; and
An elastic part that is inserted into the through hole, is fixed to the first fastener and the second fastener, and expands and contracts in the vertical direction to enable vertical position adjustment of the first-stage panel and the second-stage panel,
Cryo pump.
According to claim 1,
A cryopump wherein the stretchable portion includes a solanoid valve at one end.
According to claim 2,
The cryopump further includes a control unit that supplies power to the solanoid valve during the regeneration process of the cryopump to control the operation of the expansion and contraction unit.
According to claim 1,
The cryopump further includes an expandable tube that extends upward so that the first-stage panel and the second-stage panel are lifted upward and separated from the freezer during the regeneration process of the cryopump.
According to claim 4,
A cryopump in which the outer peripheral surface of the expansion pipe is composed of an insulating member.
According to claim 5,
The cryopump wherein the insulation member is made of G-10 epoxy material.
According to claim 4,
The cryopump further includes a cylinder that extends the stretchable tube upward during the regeneration process of the cryopump.
According to claim 7,
The cryopump wherein the first stage panel and the second stage panel are not coupled to the refrigerator.
According to claim 8,
The cylinder pulls the expansion tube downward so that the second-stage panel comes into contact with the second-stage stage part and the first-stage panel comes into contact with the first stage part when the cryopump is driven. Pump.
According to claim 1,
The cryopump wherein the coupling between the elastic part and the first fastening part and the second fastening part is a bolting coupling.
According to claim 4,
The expandable tube is inserted into the through hole to maintain an internal airtight state of the housing.
According to claim 1,
The cryopump, wherein the refrigerator is operating during the regeneration process of the cryopump.