KR20190140642A - A Vacuum Valve - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a gate valve for vacuum, which can control an opening degree with high precision. A ring-shaped lifting body (50) can support a sealing ring (55) provided with a seal member (56), and have a long inclined hole (52) into which a lifting pin (26) is inserted. The lifting body (50) is lifted with respect to a rotary body (20) along with the seal member (56) as the lifting pin (26) is moved within the long inclined hole (52) in accordance with rotation of the rotary body (20). Accordingly, the seal member (56) can be maintained over the entire circumference of a circular plate-shaped valve plate (4) by the lifting ring-shaped lifting body (50).

Description

Vacuum Valve

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to the vacuum valve used for making a vacuum in a process chamber, for example.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, thin film processing by etching, CVD (chemical vapor deposition), or PVD (physical vapor deposition) is performed using various process chambers, for example. In order to adjust the inside of this processing chamber to a desired pressure, a vacuum pump and a vacuum gate valve are used. The vacuum gate valve is disposed between the opening of the processing chamber and the inlet port of the vacuum pump. As the vacuum gate valve, a pendulum-type vacuum gate valve may be employed. In the pendulum type vacuum gate valve, the valve plate swings in the horizontal direction, thereby adjusting the opening degree of the flow path communicating with the processing chamber and the vacuum pump.

In the pendulum type vacuum gate valve, a slight gap is provided between the valve plate and the casing in order to smoothly swing the valve plate. Therefore, when the valve plate closes the opening of the gate valve, the valve plate is in close contact with the casing in order to close the gap.

In order to achieve close contact between the valve plate and the casing, it is proposed to press the valve plate against the casing by a spring (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-185035

One exemplary object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vacuum gate valve capable of controlling the valve opening degree with good accuracy.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a casing having an opening, a valve plate capable of covering the opening, a drive source, an outer wall, an inner wall, a bottom wall connecting the outer wall and the inner wall, a curved long hole formed in the bottom wall, And an elevating pin fixed to at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, the annular rotating body rotating by a driving force from the driving source, and disposed between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, wherein the bottom A rod-shaped support member having a first end portion penetrating the curved long hole in the wall and fixed to the casing, and a wide diameter portion for supporting the rotor in the rotational axis direction, and supporting the seal ring; It is disposed between the outer wall and the inner wall of the, has an inclined elongated hole into which the lifting pin of the rotating body is inserted, according to the rotation of the rotating body As the lifting pin moves in the inclined elongated hole, an annular lifting body which moves up and down with respect to the rotating body in the rotational axial direction together with the seal ring, the bottom wall of the rotating body, and the wide diameter of the supporting member. A vacuum valve having a first sliding member disposed between the sections is provided.

However, any combination of the above components, or the components or representations of the present invention are replaced with each other between a method, an apparatus, a system, and the like is also effective as a response to the present invention.

According to the present invention, the opening degree of the vacuum gate valve can be controlled with good accuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | positioning condition of the vacuum gate valve which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.
2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a vacuum gate valve.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum gate valve.
4 is an explanatory diagram showing an appearance of a position adjusting unit included in the vacuum gate valve.
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rotating mechanism provided in the position adjusting unit, and is a cross-sectional view when seen from the direction of the arrow AA in FIG. 4.
6 is an explanatory diagram showing an appearance of a support member provided in the rotating mechanism.
7 is an explanatory view showing a disassembled support member.
8 is an explanatory diagram showing an appearance of a flange that is a part of a casing of a vacuum gate valve.
9 is an explanatory view showing a flange and a rotating body fitted to the groove portion of the flange.
10 shows bottom wall balls disposed in the outer ball groove and the inner ball groove of the rotating body.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the ring plate with which the rotating mechanism is equipped.
It is explanatory drawing which shows the lifting body with which the rotation mechanism is provided from an oblique upper direction.
13 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the rotating mechanism.
14 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the rotating mechanism.

A vacuum valve (this vacuum valve) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a casing having an opening, a valve plate capable of covering the opening, a drive source, an outer wall, an inner wall, a bottom wall connecting the outer wall and the inner wall, A curved long hole formed in the bottom wall, and an elevating pin fixed to at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, the annular rotating body rotating by a driving force from the driving source, the outer wall of the rotating body, and the A rod-shaped support member disposed between the inner wall and having a first end fixed through the curved long hole of the bottom wall and fixed to the casing, and a wide diameter portion supporting the rotating body, and supporting a seal ring; And, between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, have an inclined elongated hole into which the lifting pin of the rotating body is inserted, and the rotation of the rotating body. And the lifting pin moves in the inclined elongated hole so that the lifting member moves up and down with respect to the rotating body along with the seal ring in the rotational axis direction, the bottom wall of the rotating body, and the support member. The 1st sliding member arrange | positioned between the wide diameter part is provided.

This vacuum valve can adjust the position of a seal ring by the rotation amount of a rotating body. That is, the position of the seal ring can be mechanically controlled. For this reason, the opening degree of a vacuum valve can be controlled with high precision. Further, the first sliding member reduces the frictional resistance between the rotating body and the supporting member. Thereby, the rotating body can rotate smoothly by the driving force from a drive source.

The first sliding member may include a first sliding ball, and the rotating body may further have a ball groove for holding the first sliding ball. Thereby, it is possible to suppress that a 1st sliding ball is scattered on the bottom wall of a rotating body. That is, the rotating body can hold the first sliding ball satisfactorily.

The support member further includes a ring plate disposed between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the wide diameter portion of the support member, wherein the ring plate is a plate for holding the first sliding ball. You may have a groove. In this case, the first sliding ball is held to fit between the ball groove and the plate groove. Thereby, the 1st sliding ball can be maintained more favorably.

The ball groove may include a first ball groove formed on the outer wall side of the rotating body and a second ball groove formed on the inner wall side of the rotating body. In this case, the ball groove holding the first sliding ball is disposed at two places of the bottom wall of the rotating body. For this reason, the frictional resistance between the rotating body and the wide diameter part of a support member can be reduced more favorably.

The plate groove may include a first plate groove that faces the first ball groove of the rotating body and a second plate groove that faces the second ball groove of the rotating body. In this case, the first plate groove holds the first sliding ball held in the first ball groove from the side opposite to the first ball groove. The second plate groove holds the first sliding ball held in the second ball groove from the side opposite to the second ball groove. Thereby, the 1st sliding ball can be maintained more favorably.

Moreover, the said valve plate is comprised so that a swing is possible between the closed position which covers the said opening part, and the open position which opens the said opening part, The said seal ring is the said valve plate, when the said valve plate is in the said closed position. It may be comprised so that a movement is possible in contact with. According to this structure, the opening degree of an opening part can be adjusted by rocking a valve plate horizontally. Thereby, the opening degree of an opening part can be controlled extensively.

The casing may include a second sliding member between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the casing. For this reason, the frictional resistance between a rotating body and a casing can be reduced when a rotating body rotates.

The lifting body may further include a slide hole into which a second end portion on the opposite side to the first end of the supporting member is inserted, and may lift up and down the rotating body along the supporting member. As a result, the lifting operation of the lifting body is guided by the supporting member. As a result, the lifting operation of the lifting body can be smoothed.

Further, a third sliding member may be provided between the outer circumferential surface of the second end of the support member and the inner circumferential surface of the slide hole. In this case, when the lifting body moves up and down with respect to the rotating body, the frictional resistance between the inner circumferential surface of the slide hole of the lifting body and the outer circumferential surface of the supporting member can be reduced. Thereby, the lifting operation of the lifting body can be made smoother.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail, referring drawings. In addition, in description, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same element and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably. In addition, the structure demonstrated below is an illustration and does not limit the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of a vacuum gate valve (vacuum valve) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum container to be exhausted is, for example, a processing chamber C and is a part of a semiconductor device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum gate valve 1 is disposed between the processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P. As shown in FIG. The processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P communicate with each other via a fluid passage 11 provided in the gate valve. That is, the vacuum pump P exhausts the gas in the processing chamber C through the fluid passage 11. The vacuum gate valve 1 adjusts the exhaust speed by the vacuum pump P by changing the opening area of the fluid passage 11, and maintains the inside of the processing chamber C at a desired pressure. Further, when the vacuum gate valve 1 is completely closed, the processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P are isolated, and the processing chamber is sealed.

The vacuum gate valve 1 includes a casing 2 and a valve plate 4. The shape of the casing 2 is substantially annular. The fluid passage 11 is formed at the center of the casing 2. As described above, the fluid passage 11 is a flow passage that hermetically connects the opening of the processing chamber C and the inlet port of the vacuum pump P. For this reason, the fluid passage 11 can also be called the opening of the processing chamber C. FIG. The valve plate 4 is housed inside the casing 2. For convenience, the place where the valve plate is disposed in the fluid passage 11 is called the opening 12. The valve plate 4 is substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the fluid passage 11 extends (hereinafter also referred to as a longitudinal direction) between the closed position covering the opening 12 and the open position not covering the opening 12. It can be moved (swinged) in a direction (hereinafter also referred to as a lateral direction). The valve plate 4 adjusts the opening area of the opening 12 by this swing.

When the valve plate 4 is in the closed position, the vacuum gate valve 1 can take a close or separated state. In the close contact state, the valve plate 4 is in close contact with the seal member 56 attached to the seal ring 55 to be described later, and completely seals the opening 12. In this state, the processing chamber C is isolated from the vacuum pump P and sealed. On the other hand, in the separation state, the sealing member 56 is separated from the valve plate 4, and a longitudinal gap is generated between the valve plate 4 and the sealing member 56. That is, in the separated state, the opening 12 is covered by the valve plate 4, but because of the above gap, the opening 12 is not completely blocked and slightly opened.

In this way, in the vacuum gate valve 1, the processing chamber C can be sealed when the valve plate 4 is in the closed position and is in close contact. In addition, the valve plate 4 may be positioned between the closed position and the open position to partially cover the opening 12. Further, the valve plate 4 is in the closed position and can slightly open the opening 12 when in the separated state. In this way, the opening degree of the vacuum gate valve 1 is controlled over a wide range by setting the opening area in the horizontal direction and the opening area in the vertical direction minutely generated between the opening 12 and the valve plate 4. In this way, the pressure in the processing chamber C can be controlled over a wide range.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a vacuum gate valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, since the rotating body 20 in the state accommodated in 2A of casing bodies is shown, a part of casing body 2A is not shown. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum gate valve 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in these figures, the vacuum gate valve 1 includes the casing 2 having the fluid passage 11 described above, the valve plate 4, the motor 6, and the position adjusting unit 8. Equipped.

The valve plate 4 is accommodated in the casing 2 as described above, and can swing between the closed position and the open position. The motor 6 is a drive source for swinging the valve plate 4. The valve plate 4 swings using the drive shaft of the motor 6 as the rotation shaft.

The position adjusting part 8 switches the close state and the spaced state by moving the lifting body 50 in the axial direction with respect to the valve plate 4 in the closed position. That is, the position adjusting section 8 is arranged in the longitudinal direction in which the fluid passage 11 extends, ie, in the arrangement direction of the processing chamber C, the vacuum gate valve 1 and the vacuum pump P (Fig. In X1 or X2 direction). In the following description, however, the arrangement direction (X1 and X2 directions) may be referred to as the "axial direction", the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is referred to as the "diameter direction", and the direction surrounding the axial direction may be referred to as "around direction". The circumferential direction is a tangential direction orthogonal to the radial direction.

For example, the position adjustment part 8 may seal the seal ring 55 when the valve plate 4 is in the closed position (when the valve plate 4 covers the opening 12). The seal member 56 can be brought into close contact with the valve plate 4 by moving in the direction (X1 direction) close to 4). This state is a close state. Moreover, the position adjustment part 8 moves the seal ring 55 in close contact in the direction away from the valve plate 4 (X2 direction), and has clearance gap between the sealing member 56 and the valve plate 4. Can be generated. This state is a space state. However, the position adjustment part 8 can adjust the space | interval of the seal ring 55 and the valve plate 4 to arbitrary distances in the separation state.

In addition to the valve plate 4, the casing 2 accommodates a part of the position adjustment part 8 (rotation mechanism 19 mentioned later). As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 2 may be comprised by the casing main body 2A and the flange 2B. The flange 2B is detachably attached to the casing body 2A by bolts or the like. Therefore, the casing 2 can be opened and closed freely by attaching and detaching the flange 2B. Therefore, in the vacuum gate valve 1, by opening the casing 2, the inspection, repair, and replacement of the position adjusting unit 8 can be easily performed.

4 is an explanatory diagram showing an appearance of the position adjusting unit 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the position adjusting unit 8 includes a drive source 18 and a rotating mechanism 19. The rotating mechanism 19 is accommodated in the internal space defined by the casing body 2A and the flange 2B.

The drive source 18 is a motor, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the motor is mounted outside the casing 2. The drive source 18 may have a drive gear 18b and a rotary gear 18a. The rotary gear 18a may be housed inside the casing 2. The drive source 18 transmits a driving force to the rotating mechanism 19 accommodated in the inner space of the casing 2 by the drive gear 18b and the rotary gear 18a.

The rotating mechanism 19 includes the rotating body 20 and the lifting body 50. The rotating body 20 and the lifting body 50 each have an annular shape, and are accommodated in the inner space of the casing 2 so as to surround the fluid passage 11 (opening 12). The rotating body 20 is supported by the flange 2B via the support member 40. The rotating body 20 is provided with a curved elongated hole 22a in the circumferential direction. The support member 40 penetrates the curved elongate hole 22a. The rotating body 20 can rotate relatively with respect to the support member 40 in the range of the circumferential length of the curved elongate hole 22a. On the outer side surface of the rotating body 20, the gear groove 27 which meshes with the rotating gear 18a is formed. The rotating body 20 is rotated by the drive source 18, for example, using the center of the opening 12 as a rotation axis. The lifting body 50 does not rotate with the rotation of the rotating body 20 but moves relatively with respect to the rotating body 20 in the axial direction. The seal member 56 integrally moves with respect to the lifting body 50 in the axial direction.

Hereinafter, the structure of the vacuum gate valve 1 is demonstrated in detail. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rotating mechanism 19, and is a cross-sectional view when seen from the direction of the arrow AA in FIG. In FIG. 5, the casing 2 (casing main body 2A and flange 2B) and the valve plate 4 are also shown in order to improve clarity. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating mechanism 19 mainly includes a rotating body 20 supported by the supporting member 40, a lifting body 50 coupled to the rotating body, and a seal supported by the lifting body 50. A ring 55 and a seal member 56 mounted to the seal ring 55.

As mentioned above, this vacuum valve 1 drives the rotating body 20 by the drive source 18 provided in the exterior of the casing 2. The casing 2 has an opening for transmitting the rotation of the drive source 18 to the gear groove 27 of the rotating body 20. For this reason, a part of the inner space of the casing 2, for example, the region where the rotating body 20 is disposed becomes atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, the valve plate 4 is disposed in the vacuum region. For this reason, the vacuum region is sealed from the atmospheric pressure region by the sealing member 57. The sealing member 57 that isolates the vacuum region and the atmospheric pressure region is, for example, an O-ring 57. As the sealing member 57, a pair of O-rings 57 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface of the elevating body 50. Similarly, a pair of O-rings 57 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface of the seal ring 55. The side (X1 side) closer to the valve plate 4 than the O-ring 57 is the same vacuum as the fluid passage 11. On the other hand, the side (X2 side) farther from the valve plate 4 becomes the atmospheric pressure than the seal member. In this way, the fluid passage 11 communicates between the processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P in an airtight manner.

6 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the support member 40. 7 is explanatory drawing which shows the disassembled support member. The supporting member 40 is a substantially rod-like (pin-shaped) member, penetrates the curved elongated hole 22a of the rotating body 20, and is fixed to the flange 2B. The support member 40 includes a first end 43a, a wide diameter portion 44, and a second end 43b on the side opposite to the first end 43a. The screw part 42 is formed in the 1st end part 43a. The screw part 42 is engaged with the screw hole 14a provided in the flange 2B (refer FIG. 5). The second end 43b may include the third sliding member 46. The third sliding member 46 is, for example, a ball slider 46. The ball slider 46 includes a hollow-cylindrical cylinder-shaped main body and many small spheres arranged on the side surface of the main body. These small spheres can be rotated in any direction on the side of the main body. The ball slider 46 is fitted to the second end 43b of the support member 40.

8 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the flange 2B. 8 shows the flange 2B with the valve plate 4 side facing up. As shown in FIG. 8, the flange 2B is equipped with the inner cylinder 13, the groove part 14, and the collar part 16, and is a substantially annular member. The inner cylinder 13 has the shape of a hollow cylinder extending in the axial direction. The inner side of the inner cylinder 13 is a space that becomes the fluid passage 11. The collar portion 16 includes a plurality of screw holes 17 for fixing the flange 2B to the casing body 2A. The groove part 14 is provided between the inner cylinder 13 and the collar part 16. The groove portion 14 has a plurality of screw holes 14a at predetermined intervals. The screw portion 42 of the support member 40 is engaged with the screw hole 14a. The groove part 14 accommodates a part of the rotating body 20 which comprises the rotating mechanism 19. As shown in FIG. The second sliding member 15 may be disposed between the groove portion 14 and the rotating body 20. The second sliding member 15 is, for example, a plurality of flange balls 15. The flange ball 15 is disposed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The flange ball 15 is rotatably held in any direction between the rotating body 20 and the groove portion 14 (flange 2B). For this reason, the flange ball 15 functions as a ball bearing.

FIG. 9: is explanatory drawing which shows the flange 2B and the rotating body 20 fitted in the groove part 14 of this flange 2B. As shown to FIG. 9 and FIG. 5, the rotating body 20 is an annular member which has a cross section of concave shape (U-shape). That is, the rotating body 20 is provided with the outer wall 21, the inner wall 23 arrange | positioned concentrically with the outer wall, and the bottom wall 22 which connects the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23. As shown in FIG. The outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23 are each a hollow cylinder-shaped member, and the outer wall 21 is larger in diameter than the inner wall 22. The bottom wall 22 is a ring-shaped member, the outer diameter substantially coincides with the diameter of the outer wall 21, and the inner diameter substantially coincides with the diameter of the inner wall 23. The bottom wall 22 is formed with a curved long hole 22a through which the support member 40 penetrates. The curved long hole 22a may be formed in plural at equal intervals. The curved long hole 22a has a length corresponding to the amount of rotation of the rotating body 20 in the circumferential direction in order to allow the rotation of the rotating body 20 with respect to the support member 40. That is, the rotating body 20 can rotate until the edge part of the curved elongate hole 22a contacts the support member 40.

A first sliding member 28 is disposed between the bottom wall 22 and the support member 40. The first sliding member is, for example, a ball. A ball groove for holding the ball is provided on the surface on the side opposite to the flange 2B of the bottom wall 22. 10 shows a state in which the first sliding member 28 is disposed on the bottom wall 22. A plurality of ball grooves may be provided. For example, an outer ball groove (first ball groove) 24 may be formed in the vicinity of the corner portion where the outer wall 21 and the bottom wall 22 are connected. In addition, an inner ball groove (second ball groove) 25 may be formed in the vicinity of the corner portion where the inner wall 23 and the bottom wall 22 are connected. In that case, the curved long hole 22a is located between the outer ball groove and the inner ball groove.

In this way, the plurality of ball grooves are arranged concentrically with the curved long hole 22a interposed therebetween. A plurality of bottom wall balls 28 are disposed in the outer ball groove 24 and the inner ball groove 25. As shown in this figure, the bottom wall ball 28 is arrange | positioned in the outer side ball groove 24 and the inner side ball groove 25 over the substantially whole circumferential direction area | region. The bottom wall ball 28 is rotatable in any direction in these grooves. For this reason, the frictional resistance between the rotating body 20 and the supporting member 40 which occurs when the rotating body 20 rotates with respect to the supporting member 40 is reduced.

11 is an explanatory diagram showing the ring plate 30. The ring plate 30 is disposed to cover the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20 in which the bottom wall ball 28 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 11, the ring plate 30 is an annular member provided with a plurality of through holes 32. Each through hole 32 is an opening through which the support member 40 is fitted. The inner diameter of the through hole 32 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the support member 40. For this reason, when the support member 40 penetrates the through-hole 32, the ring plate 30 is suppressed with respect to a rotating direction. For this reason, the ring plate 30 is fixed integrally with the support member 40 and does not rotate along the rotating body 20.

Further, plate grooves are provided outside and inside the ring plate 30 along the circumferential direction of the ring plate 30. The plate groove is provided corresponding to the ball groove. For example, an outer plate groove (first plate groove) 34 and an inner plate groove (second plate groove) 36 are provided. The outer plate groove 34 holds the bottom wall ball 28 held in the outer ball groove 24 from the side opposite to the outer ball groove 24. The inner plate groove 36 holds the bottom wall ball 28 held in the inner ball groove 25 from the side opposite to the inner ball groove 25. That is, the diameter of the circle which the outer plate groove 34 forms corresponds with the diameter of the circle which the outer ball groove 24 forms. The diameter of the circle formed by the inner plate groove 36 coincides with the diameter of the circle formed by the inner ball groove 25. The bottom wall ball 28 is rotatably held in any direction between the outer ball groove 24 and the outer plate groove 34 and between the inner ball groove 25 and the inner plate groove 36. Thus, the bottom wall ball 28 is rotatably clamped by the ball groove and the plate groove. That is, the bottom wall ball 28 provided in the rotating body 20 functions as a ball bearing between the rotating body 20 and the ring plate 30.

5, the support of the rotating body 20 by the support member 40 is demonstrated. As described above, the screw portion 42 provided at the tip end of the support member 40 passes through the through hole 32 of the ring plate 30 and the curved elongated hole 22a of the rotating body 20 to form a flange. It is engaged with the screw hole 14a provided in 2B. The wide diameter part 44 is provided in the substantially center in the longitudinal direction of the support member 40. The wide diameter portion 44 is the first surface 44a which is the surface on the first end 43a side, and the second surface that is the surface on the side opposite to the first surface 44a, and is the surface on the second end 43b side. (44b). In a state where the screw portion 42 is engaged with the screw hole 14a, the first surface 44a is in contact with the ring plate 30. That is, the wide diameter part 44 pinches the rotating body 20 and the ring plate 30 with the flange 2b by this 1st surface 44a. On the other hand, the upper surface of the lifting body 50 faces the second surface 44b of the wide diameter portion 44. The radial width of the wide diameter portion 44 is slightly smaller than the radial gap between the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23. For this reason, the wide diameter part 44 is arrange | positioned between the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23. In this way, the rotating body 20 is rotatably supported by the supporting member 40.

FIG. 12: is explanatory drawing which shows the lifting body 50 from the oblique upper direction. As shown in FIG. 12, the lifting body 50 is an annular member which has the some slide hole 54 provided in the upper surface so that it may follow the axial direction, and the some inclined elongate hole 52 provided in the side surface. The slide hole 54 is disposed at a position corresponding to the support member 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the second end 43b of the support member 40 is inserted into the slide hole 54 in the lifting body 50. The inner diameter of the slide hole 54 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the second end 43b of the support member 40. The ball slider 6 described above may be provided between the second end 43b of the support member 40 and the slide hole. By such a configuration, the lifting body 50 is movable in the axial direction. On the other hand, the rotation of the lifting body 50 is regulated by the support member 40.

The rotating body 20 is provided in the position different from the support member 40 with respect to the circumferential direction, and is provided in the at least one of the outer wall 21 or the inner wall 23, and is provided with the lifting pin 26 extended in the radial direction. . Preferably, both ends of the lifting pins 26 are supported by the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23, respectively. For this reason, the lifting pin 26 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotating body 20. The lifting pins 26 may be disposed in plural at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. For example, the supporting member 40 and the lifting pin 26 may be alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. The elevating pin 26 engages with the inclined elongated hole 52 of the elevating body 50 to support the elevating body 50.

The inclined elongated hole 52 is an elongated hole which penetrates the lifting body 50 in the radial direction, and extends so that it may incline with respect to both the axial direction and the surface perpendicular to an axial direction. As above-mentioned, the lifting body 50 cannot rotate by engagement with the support member 40. Therefore, when the rotating body 20 rotates, the lifting pin 26 moves in the oblique long hole 52, and the lifting body 50 moves in the axial direction according to the movement. For this reason, the circumferential length of the oblique long hole 52 has the length according to the rotation amount of the rotating body 20.

5, the structure of the lifting body 50 and the seal ring 55 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 5, the seal ring 55 is attached to the lower surface of the lifting body 50. As shown in FIG. The seal ring 55 is an annular member which is the same as the lifting body 50 and moves integrally with the lifting body 50. The upper surface of the seal ring 55 may be fixed to the lower surface of the lifting body 50 by a detachable fitting mechanism in consideration of maintenance property. The seal ring 55 has a sealing member 56 on its lower surface. The seal member 56 is an O-ring, for example. The seal ring 55 (seal member 56) contacts the valve plate 4 when the lifting body 50 moves in the X1 direction.

Thus, in this embodiment, the annular lifting body 50 moves up and down together with the seal ring 55 by the rotation of the rotating body 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sealing ring 55 can be pressed (hold) over the whole circumference | surroundings of the disk-shaped valve plate 4 by the annular lifting body 50 which moves up and down. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the clearance gap between the valve plate 4 and the sealing member 56 can be suppressed favorably, and the close state (close state of the process chamber C) can be maintained.

13 and 14 are perspective views for explaining the operation of the rotary mechanism 19. In FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a part of the outer wall 21 of the rotating body 20 is not shown in order to show the engagement state of the inclined elongate hole 52 and the lifting pin 26 of the lifting body 50. In FIG. . As described above, in the rotating mechanism 19, a plurality of lifting pins 26 whose ends are fixed to the outer wall 21 are inserted into the inclined elongated holes 52 of the lifting body 50. The tip of the elevating pin 26 inserted into the inclined elongated hole 52 is fixed to the inner wall 23 of the rotating body 20. In order to facilitate the relative movement of the inclined elongated hole 52 and the lifting pin 26, the lifting pin 26 may have a bearing on its outer circumference. In this way, the lifting body 50 is mechanically coupled to the rotating body 20. As described above, the inclined elongated hole 52 extends inclined with respect to the axial direction. In addition, the lifting body 50 is restricted by the support member 40. For this reason, when the rotating body 20 rotates, the lifting pin 26 will move relatively in the oblique long hole 52, and the lifting body 50 will raise and lower in the axial direction.

FIG. 13: shows the state in which the lifting pin 26 of the rotating body 20 is located in the lowest end of the oblique long hole 52. As shown in FIG. In this state, the lifting body 50 is located at the highest position. That is, the axial distance between the seal ring 55 and the valve plate 4 is at a maximum. In this state, swinging of the valve plate 4 is permitted.

In the case of increasing the pressure in the processing chamber C, the lifting pins 26 move toward the terminal at the uppermost end of the inclined elongated hole 52. As the lifting pins 26 move, the lifting bodies 50 are pushed down by the lifting pins 26. As a result, the axial distance between the seal ring 55 and the valve plate 4 becomes small.

FIG. 14: shows the state in which the lifting pin 26 of the rotating body 20 is located in the terminal located in the uppermost end of the oblique long hole 52. As shown in FIG. In this state, the lifting body 50 is located at the lowest position. That is, the seal ring 55 (seal member 56) contacts the valve plate 4.

In particular, in a spaced state, that is, a state in which the processing chamber C is exhausted by the vacuum pump P, the pressure difference between the spaces above and below the O-ring 57 increases. By this differential pressure, the lifting body 50 and the seal ring 55 receive a pulling force in the X1 direction. Since the elevating body 50 is supported by the rotating body 20 via the elevating pin 26, the rotating body 20 also receives a pulling force in the X1 direction similarly to the elevating body 50. That is, the rotating body 20 is pressed by the wide diameter part 44 of the support member 40. For this reason, the differential pressure generated by the O-ring 57 can raise the sliding resistance between the rotating body 20 and the first surface 44a of the wide diameter portion 44. If the sliding resistance rises excessively, the rotation of the rotating body 20 may be inhibited. Inhibition of the rotating body 20 affects the lifting position of the seal ring 55, so that the pressure of the processing chamber C can be affected.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the rotating body 20 has the bottom wall ball 28 which is a 1st sliding member. The bottom wall ball 28 is disposed between the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20 and the ring plate 30 (the first surface 44a of the wide diameter portion 44 of the supporting member 40). It is. That is, the rotating body 20 is in contact with the ring plate 30 (first surface 44a) through the bottom wall ball 28. For this reason, even when the rotating body 20 is pulled to the valve plate 4 side (ring plate 30 side), since the bottom wall ball 28 functions as a ball bearing, the rotating body 20 and the support member 40 are carried out. (The frictional resistance between the ring plates 30 can be reduced. Thereby, since the rotating body 20 can rotate smoothly by the driving force from the drive source 18, and can adjust the position of a seal ring with high precision, it can control the opening degree of a valve with high precision.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the rotating body 20 is provided with the ball groove for holding the bottom wall ball 28. As shown in FIG. Thereby, it is possible to suppress that the bottom wall ball 28 is scattered on the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20. That is, the rotating body 20 can hold | maintain the bottom wall ball 28 favorably. Moreover, since the bottom wall ball 28 is arrange | positioned in two places of the outer side and the inner side of the bottom wall 22, the wide diameter part 44 of the rotating body 20 and the ring plate 30 (support member 40) is carried out. The frictional resistance between the first surfaces 44a can be reduced more favorably.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the ring plate 30 arrange | positioned between the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20, and the wide diameter part 44 of the support member 40 is provided. The ring plate 30 has an outer plate groove 34 and an inner plate groove 36 for holding the bottom wall ball 28. The outer plate groove 34 holds the bottom wall ball 28 held in the outer ball groove 24 from the side opposite to the outer ball groove 24. The inner plate groove 36 holds the bottom wall ball 28 held in the inner ball groove 25 from the side opposite to the inner ball groove 25. Thereby, in this embodiment, the bottom wall ball 28 can be maintained more favorable.

In the present embodiment, the flange 2B includes a plurality of flange balls 15 serving as the second sliding member 15 in the groove portion 14, and these flange balls 15 include a rotating body ( 20). That is, the rotating body 20 is in contact with the flange 2B via the flange ball 15. For this reason, when the rotating body 20 rotates, since the flange ball 15 functions as a ball bearing, the frictional resistance between the rotating body 20 and the flange 2B (groove 14) can be reduced. . Therefore, the rotating body 20 can rotate more smoothly by the driving force from the drive source 18. FIG.

In the present embodiment, a ball slider 46 is provided between the slide hole 54 and the support member 40 of the lifting member 50. As a result, the lifting member 50 can be supported by the support member 40. As a result, the lifting operation of the lifting body 50 can be smoothed.

In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on embodiment. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, various design changes are possible, various modifications are possible, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the valve plate 4 can be moved (swinged) between the closed position and the open position by the driving force of the motor 6. However, the valve plate 4 may be fixed to the closed position. In this case, the vacuum degree of the processing chamber C is adjusted by the valve plate 4 state (close state or spaced apart state).

In this embodiment, the 1st sliding member 28, the 2nd sliding member 15, and the 3rd sliding member 46 are balls, respectively. However, each sliding member is not limited to this, and may be any shape such as a needle shape.

In this embodiment, the rotating body 20 has eight lifting pins 26, and the lifting body 50 has eight inclined elongated holes 52. As shown in FIG. However, the number of the lifting pins 26 and the inclined elongated hole 52 is not limited to this, and may be given arbitrarily.

Moreover, in this embodiment, the ring plate 30 is arrange | positioned at the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20, and the rotating body 20 carries out the support member 40 of the support plate 40 via the ring plate 30. As shown in FIG. It faces the 1st surface 44a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the rotating body 20 may not include the ring plate 30. In this case, the rotating body 20 is in contact with the first surface 44a of the supporting member 40 via the bottom wall ball 28. And the bottom wall ball 28 functions as a ball bearing between the rotating body 20 and the 1st surface 44a of the support member 40, and can reduce frictional resistance between them.

The present invention can be applied to, for example, a vacuum valve used to vacuum the inside of a processing chamber.

C: treatment chamber
P: vacuum pump
1: vacuum gate valve
2: casing
2A: casing body
2B: flange
4: valve plate
6: motor
8: Position adjusting part
11: fluid passage
12: opening
13: inner tube
14: groove
14a: screw hole
15: Flange Ball
16: color part
17: screw hole
18: drive source
18a: rotary gear
18b: drive gear
19: rotating mechanism
20: rotating body
21: outer wall
22: bottom wall
22a: curved long hole
23: inner wall
24: outside ball groove
25: inner ball groove
26: lifting pin
27: gear groove
28: floor ball
30: ring plate
32: through hole
34: Outer plate groove
36: inner plate groove
40: support member
42: screw part
43a: first end
43b: second end
44: wide diameter
44a: first page
44b: second side
46: ball slider
50: lifting body
52: oblique long hole
54: slide hole
55: seal ring
56: seal member
57: sealing member

Claims (9)

A casing having an opening,
A valve plate capable of covering the opening;
Drive source,
An outer wall, an inner wall, a bottom wall connecting the outer wall and the inner wall, a curved long hole formed in the bottom wall, and a lifting pin fixed to at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, and rotating by a driving force from the driving source. An annular rotating body,
A first end disposed between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, the first end being fixed to the casing through the curved long hole of the bottom wall, and a wide diameter portion supporting the rotating body in the rotational axis direction; A rod-shaped support member,
Supporting the seal ring, and disposed between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, and has an inclined elongated hole into which the lifting pin of the rotating body is inserted, the lifting pin according to the rotation of the rotating body An annular lifting body which moves up and down with respect to the rotating body along the seal ring by moving in the inclined elongated hole,
And a first sliding member disposed between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the wide diameter portion of the support member. The method of claim 1,
The first sliding member includes a first sliding ball, and the rotating body further has a ball groove for holding the first sliding ball. The method of claim 2,
The support member further includes a ring plate disposed between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the wide diameter portion of the support member,
And the ring plate has a plate groove for holding the first sliding ball. The method of claim 2,
The ball groove, the vacuum valve comprising a first ball groove formed on the outer wall side of the rotating body, and a second ball groove formed on the inner wall side of the rotating body. The method of claim 4, wherein
The plate groove includes a first plate groove facing the first ball groove of the rotating body and a second plate groove facing the second ball groove of the rotating body. The method of claim 1,
The valve plate is configured to be swingable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position for opening the opening.
And the seal ring is configured to be movable to contact the valve plate when the valve plate is in the closed position. The method of claim 1,
The casing is provided with a second sliding member between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the casing. The method of claim 1,
The lifting and lowering body further includes a slide hole into which the second end of the supporting member is inserted, and moves up and down relative to the rotating body along the supporting member. The method of claim 8,
And a third sliding member provided between an outer circumferential surface of the second end of the support member and an inner circumferential surface of the slide hole.

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