KR20030061632A - System Of Diaphragm Pump - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An operating system of a diaphragm pump is provided to allow precise dispense under bad conditions. CONSTITUTION: A system comprises the steps of: a suction step in which a suction valve(40) is opened by operation of a controller, and a piston(30) is moved back by rotation of a stepping motor to transform a diaphragm(22) so that photochemical in a container is introduced through a suction line and the suction valve into a pump chamber by negative force of the pump chamber; a purge step in which the piston is stopped and the suction valve is closed as the suction step is completed, and a purge valve(50) is simultaneously opened to primarily remove bubble introduced through the suction line or formed by cavitation and to discharge the bubble through a purge line to the container; a dispense step in which a discharge valve(42) is opened by outside signal as soon as the purge step is completed so that photochemical is dispensed through a discharge line; a vent process step collecting bubble generated due to difference of pressure as an inline filter installed on the discharge line is moving along the discharge line, or inevitably introduced as the container or the inline filter is replaced, and discharging the bubble to the outside; and a preparation step closing the suction valve, the discharge valve and the purge valve as the suction step is completed, keeping pressure of fluid in the pump chamber and the inline filter, and awaiting next input of dispense signal.

Description

System of Diaphragm Pump

The present invention relates to an operation system of an ultra-precision diaphragm pump for supplying quantitatively supplying photochemical to a photo process in a semiconductor and display manufacturing process, and more particularly, in a bad condition in which a suction line is long and a suction head is high, and thus a stabilization is likely to occur. An operating system of a diaphragm pump that enables stable and precise dispensing.

In general, a diaphragm pump is a device that pumps a fluid by converting the diaphragm into a linear reciprocating motion through a mechanism such as a cam. Mainly used.

It is also used to supply photochemicals in photo-processes in semiconductor and display manufacturing processes, which are ultra-precision products.

As described above, the diaphragm pump, which is used to quantitatively supply the photochemical by applying to the photo process in the semiconductor and display manufacturing process, is installed by pressing the diaphragm to the support ring at the opening side of the pump head, so that one side thereof forms a pump chamber based on the diaphragm. It consists of a structure in which the suction valve and the discharge valve is formed on one side of the pump chamber.

In addition, on the opposite side of the pump chamber based on the diaphragm described above, an inert intermediate working liquid chamber is formed, and a stepping motor controlled by a microprocessor and a piston reciprocating linearly in the chamber is provided.

Therefore, when the stepping motor rotates and transfers the piston by a preset program, the working liquid volume in the inert intermediate working liquid chamber is changed by the feeding amount of the piston, and the diaphragm moves in proportion to the change of the working liquid volume. The suction and discharge of the photochemical is made.

However, since the diaphragm is made of a teflon flat plate, the diaphragm is deformed according to the movement of the diaphragm due to frequent suction and discharge, thereby causing a change in the discharge amount.

In addition, the above-mentioned port chemicals contain a highly volatile solvent and a large amount is evaporated when passing through the suction line, so that bubbles are generated therein, which causes starvation due to bubbles, which also makes it difficult to dispense stable precision. there was.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, to provide a diaphragm pump operating system capable of stably dispensing even in the adverse conditions that the suction line is long and the suction head is high and the stabilization easily occurs. The purpose is.

1 is a perspective view of a diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

2 is a plan view of a diaphragm pump in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figure 2 for showing the internal configuration of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG.

5 is an operating state diagram schematically showing a suction process of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

6 is an operating state diagram schematically showing the purge process of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

7 is an operating state diagram schematically showing the dispensing process of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

8 is an operating state diagram schematically showing the venting process of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

9 is an operating state diagram schematically showing a ready state of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10 diaphragm pump 12 body

14 pump head 16 pump chamber

18 inert working fluid chamber 20 diaphragm

22: stamping motor 30: piston

40: intake valve 42: discharge valve

50: surge valve 60: vessel

62: suction line 64: discharge line

66: purge line 70: filter

72: air vent valve 80: suck back valve

The operation system of the diaphragm pump of the present invention for achieving the above object is used to quantitatively supply the photochemical by applying to the photo process in the semiconductor and display manufacturing process, the diaphragm is crimped to the support ring at the opening of the pump head By being installed, one side of the pump chamber is formed on the basis of the diaphragm, and an intake valve, a discharge valve, and a purge valve are formed on one side of the pump chamber, and an inert intermediate working fluid chamber is formed on the opposite side of the pump chamber based on the diaphragm. In the operating system of the diaphragm pump is provided with a stepping motor controlled by a microprocessor and a piston for linear reciprocating movement in the chamber, the operation system of the diaphragm pump to dispense the photochemical in the container by operation of the controller,

The suction valve is opened by the operation of the controller, and the piston is retracted as the stamping motor rotates to deform the diaphragm so that the photochemical in the container flows into the pump chamber through the suction line and the suction valve at the negative pressure of the pump chamber. Steps;

When the suction step is completed, the piston stops, the suction valve is closed, and the purge valve opens at the same time. A purge step which is discharged to the container and removed first;

A dispensing step in which a discharge valve is opened by an external signal and a photochemical is dispensed through a discharge line at the same time as the purge step is completed;

A vent process step of collecting and discharging bubbles generated by a pressure difference while the inline filter installed on the discharge line moves along the discharge line or inevitably introduced when the container or the filter is replaced during the dispensing step;

Upon completion of the suction step, the suction valve, the discharge valve and the purge valve are all closed, the preparation step of waiting for the input of the next dispense signal while maintaining the fluid pressure of the pump chamber and in-line filter, characterized in that it comprises a.

In this case, in the purge step, the purge valve operates only when set in the program, and discharges as much as the set purge amount in the program, and sets the purge time arbitrarily based on the number of dispenses according to the line condition and the type of photochemical. Characterized in that it can.

In addition, a seat back valve is installed on the discharge line, and when the dispensing step is completed, the photochemical remaining on the discharge line is sucked to the rear side to prevent further dispensing of the photochemical.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a diaphragm pump according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of a diaphragm pump according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 2 for showing the internal configuration of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2.

5 is an operating state diagram schematically showing a suction process of a diaphragm pump according to the present invention, FIG. 6 is an operating state diagram schematically showing a purge process of a diaphragm pump according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 8 is an operating state diagram schematically showing the dispensing process of the diaphragm pump, FIG. 8 is an operating state diagram schematically showing the venting process of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a preparation state of the diaphragm pump according to the present invention. The operation state diagram shown.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the end side of the diaphragm 20 is compressed by the support ring 21 between the pump head 14 and the body 12 of the diaphragm pump 10 to be fixed. It is.

The diaphragm 20 has a shape in which its central portion protrudes upward, that is, an omega (Ω) shape.

Based on the omega-shaped diaphragm 20, the inside of the pump head 14 forms a pump chamber 16, and the inside of the body 12 forms an inert intermediate working fluid chamber 18. On one side of the inert intermediate working fluid chamber 18, the piston 30 linearly reciprocates as the stepping motor 22 rotates, and on one side thereof, a plug 32 for supplying and discharging the inert intermediate working fluid. Is fastened (an optional pressure sensor can be installed instead of the plug), and an air vent cap 34 for discharging air is fastened.

The stepping motor 22 is operated by the control of a microprocessor (not shown), and is coupled to the ball screw & nut 26 and the coupling 24, the end side of the ball screw & nut 26 The ends of the slider 28 and the piston 30 are in close contact with each other. As the stepping motor 22 rotates, the slider 28 moves in position as the ball screw & nut 26 is extended or shortened. While the piston 30 is to reciprocate linearly.

Meanwhile, an upper side of the pump chamber 16 includes a container (not shown) in which the photochemical is stored, and a suction valve 40 connected to the suction line 62, and included in the photochemical introduced through the suction valve 40. A purge valve 50 for discharging bubbles and a discharge valve 42 for dispersing the photochemical introduced through the suction valve 40 through the discharge line 64 are provided.

The purge valve 50 separates and removes the bubble when the bubble flows into the pump chamber 16 through the suction line 62 by replacing a container in which the photochemical is stored, and the suction line 62 is long and the suction head is high. In order to prevent the occurrence of starvation (Starvation) is installed, in this case fuzzy recovery can be set arbitrarily according to the line conditions.

As shown in FIG. 3, the purge valve 50 is installed at an upper side of the pump chamber 16. Like the intake valve 40 and the discharge valve 42, the spring 56 and the inner side of the valve body are provided. The piston 54 and the diaphragm 52 is installed to open and close.

The operation relationship of the diaphragm pump 10 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8 as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, when a controller (not shown) is operated to suck photochemical from a container, the suction valve 40 is opened, and the stamping motor 22 controlled by the microprocessor rotates. As the ball screw & nut 26 and the slider 28 and the piston 30 is reversed.

Accordingly, as the omega diaphragm 20 deforms into a concave shape due to a volume change in the inert intermediate working liquid chamber 18 in the body 12, a negative pressure is generated in the pump chamber 16. The photochemical in the container flows into the pump chamber 16 through the intake valve 40.

In this case, since the diaphragm 20 is formed in an omega shape, the deformation is made larger than that of the conventional flat diaphragm, so that the photochemical can be easily inhaled.

When the suction is completed as described above, the piston 30 is stopped and the suction valve 40 is closed. The total suction amount is the sum of the bubble amount and the coating amount applied to the photo process.

Meanwhile, as the suction is completed, as shown in FIG. 5, as the purge valve 50 is opened, bubbles introduced through the suction line 62 or cavitation generated due to the long suction line 62 and the high suction head. Since bubbles caused by the phenomenon are first removed, dispensing can be performed stably even in poor conditions.

At this time, the purge valve 50 is operated only when set in the program, and discharged by the amount of purge set in the program, so that the purge time can be arbitrarily set based on the number of dispenses according to the condition of the line and the type of photochemical. It was.

In the drawings, reference numeral 66 denotes a purge line.

When the purge is completed as described above, the dispensing valve 42 is opened by the external signal as shown in FIG. 7 to perform the dispensing. In the system without the filter, the diaphragm pump 10 itself is completed at the same time as the dispensing is completed. The Suck Back function prevents further photochemical dropping (dispensing).

In this case, as the stepping motor 22 is reversed, the ball screw & nut 26 and the slider 28 and the piston 30 are advanced so that the inert intermediate hydraulic fluid chamber 18 in the body 12 can be moved. Omega-shaped diaphragm 20 is deformed into a convex shape due to the volume change, thereby discharging the photochemical introduced into the pump chamber 16 through the discharge valve 42 and the discharge line 64.

Meanwhile, an inline filter 70 and a seat back valve 80 may be installed between the discharge valve 42 of the diaphragm pump 10 and the dispensing line. In this way, the inline filter 70 and the seat back valve are provided. When the 80 is installed, the filter 70 collects bubbles generated by the pressure difference while the photochemical moves along the line or inevitably flows in when the container or the filter is replaced, and the outside through the air vent valve 72. The seat back valve 80 is opened or closed at the same time as the discharge valve 42 to suck the photochemical so that it does not fall into the process any more when the dispensing is completed.

If the bubbles are not removed, the bubbles are re-dissolved into the photochemical to cause micro bubbles. The inline filter 70 collects the bubbles and discharges them to the outside in order to prevent them (FIG. 8). (See).

As such, after the inline filter 70 and the seat back valve 80 are installed and subjected to the venting process, the piston 30 of the diaphragm pump 10 returns to the home position to complete the suction cycle. 40, 42, 40 are closed and set to a ready state (see FIG. 9) waiting for input of the next dispense signal while maintaining the fluid pressure of the pump head 14, the inline filter 70 and the like.

For reference, the diaphragm pump 10 described above must be installed horizontally in order to stably separate and remove bubbles introduced through the suction line 62, and the inclination of the line so that the bubbles do not stay on the line, Care should be taken in bending.

In addition, it is preferable to flush the pump prior to connecting the pump to remove foreign substances in the line, and to prevent leakage of the connecting portion of the line.

As described above, according to the diaphragm pump of the present invention, it is installed between the pump head and the fuselage, and is deformed by the linear reciprocating motion of the piston according to the rotation of the stepping motor, and the photochemical is sucked into or pumped into the pump chamber. The diaphragm for discharging the photochemical is made of Omega (Ω) shape to prevent the shape deformation caused by frequent deformation, and also the installation of the purge valve makes it easy without stabilization even if the suction line is long and the suction head is high. In addition to being able to inhale chemicals, and by removing the bubbles contained in the photochemicals sucked into the pump chamber through the purge valve as described above, it is useful that the precise dispensing is made stable even in the adverse conditions where stabilization is likely to occur. It works.

In addition, by selectively installing an inline filter on the discharge line, bubbles generated by the pressure difference while the photochemical moves along the line or inevitably introduced when the container or the filter are replaced are collected and discharged to the outside through the air vent valve. By selectively installing the seat back valve, the seat back valve opens or closes simultaneously with the discharge valve and functions to suck the photochemical into the process when the dispensing is complete so that it no longer falls into the process. Even in this prone condition, there is a useful effect that the precision dispense is stable.

Although the invention has been described in detail only with respect to the specific examples described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within the spirit of the invention, and such modifications and variations belong to the appended claims.

Claims (3)

The diaphragm 20 is used to quantitatively supply the photochemical by applying to the photo process in the semiconductor and display manufacturing process, and the diaphragm 20 is squeezed and installed in the support ring 21 at the opening side of the pump head 14. The pump chamber 16 is formed at one side of the pump chamber 16, and an intake valve 40, a discharge valve 42, and a purge valve 50 are formed at one side of the pump chamber 16, and the diaphragm 20 is formed. On the opposite side of the pump chamber 16, an inert intermediate working fluid chamber 18 is formed, and a stepping motor 22 controlled by a microprocessor and a piston 30 linearly reciprocates in the chamber 18. In the operating system of the diaphragm pump is made to dispense the photochemical in the container 60 by the operation of the controller, The suction valve 40 is opened by the operation of the controller, the piston 30 moves backward as the stamping motor 22 rotates, and the diaphragm 20 is deformed, so that the suction line 62 is under negative pressure of the pump chamber 16. And a suction step of introducing photochemical in the container (60) into the pump chamber (16) through the suction valve (40); When the suction step is completed, the piston 30 is stopped and the suction valve 40 is closed, and the purge valve 50 is opened at the same time as the bubble introduced through the suction line 62 or the suction line 62 is long and the suction is completed. A purge step in which bubbles due to cavitation due to high heads are discharged to the container 60 through the purge line 66 and first removed; A dispensing step in which the discharge valve 42 is opened by an external signal and the photochemical is dispensed through the discharge line 64 at the same time as the purge step is completed; During the dispensing step, the in-line filter 70 installed on the discharging line 64 is collected by the pressure difference while moving along the discharging line 64 or inadvertently introduced when the container 60 or the filter is replaced. A vent process step of discharging to the outside; Upon completion of the suction step, both the suction valve 40, the discharge valve 42, and the purge valve 50 are closed, and the fluid pressure of the pump chamber 16, the inline filter 70, and the like is maintained, waiting for the input of the next dispense signal. A preparatory step of the; operating system of the diaphragm pump, characterized in that made. The method of claim 1, In the purge step, the purge valve 50 operates only when set in the program and discharges as much as the set purge amount in the program. The purge timing is arbitrarily set based on the number of dispenses according to the line condition and the type of photochemical. Operating system of a diaphragm pump. The method of claim 1, The seat back valve 80 is installed on the discharge line 64 to suck back the photochemical remaining on the discharge line 64 to the rear side when the dispensing step is completed, thereby preventing further dispensing of the photochemical. Operating system of diaphragm pump. A purge valve 50 is installed between the suction valve 40 and the discharge valve 42 to remove bubbles contained in the photochemical introduced into the pump chamber 16 through the suction valve 40. Operating system of the diaphragm pump, characterized in that made.