KR20200142846A - Gate valve system and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

According to embodiments of the present invention, provided is a gate valve which comprises: a sealing plate opening and closing a chamber; a support unit connected to the sealing plate; a driving unit moving the support unit up and down; a valve housing having the sealing plate and the support unit therein, and having a passage and an exchange unit formed therein; a first sealing member sealing the passage by movement of the sealing plate; and a second sealing member sealing the exchange unit by the movement of the sealing plate. The driving unit moves the sealing plate to a position corresponding to the passage or the exchange unit. Therefore, a movement distance of the sealing plate is minimized to stably operate the gate vale, reduce manufacturing cost, save movement time of the sealing plate, and save a space of the gate valve.

Description

Gate valve system and its control method

The present invention relates to a gate valve system and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a gate valve system and a control method thereof to enable exchange of an O-ring or a sealing plate while maintaining a vacuum state in a chamber. About.

A gate valve is a semiconductor manufacturing facility that is provided between chambers of a semiconductor process to provide an inter-chamber passage and open and close the provided passage, and is also called a slit valve.

Here, the semiconductor process refers to various processes such as exposure, etching, deposition, and cleaning. Since each process is performed in a vacuum chamber, it is important to maintain the chamber in a vacuum state.

Accordingly, in order to prevent the diffusion of substances generated by a process performed in the chamber after opening the gate valve and transfer the object to be processed, such as a wafer, to another chamber and to keep the other chamber in a vacuum state, the gate valve must be closed.

The gate valve moves the sealing plate to open and close the passage, and a sealing member such as an O-ring is attached to the sealing plate to seal the interior of the chamber.

However, O-rings are consumables and should be replaced regularly. In order to replace O-rings, the semiconductor process must be stopped. After replacing the O-rings, impurities in the chamber must be removed and vacuum suction takes a lot of time.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method capable of rapidly exchanging O-rings while maintaining a vacuum state inside the chamber.

In this regard, a look at the prior art.

In the gate valve device that is attached to the carrying-in opening of the processing chamber 4 and opens and closes the space between the carrying chamber 6 side in a vacuum state, the carrying-in opening 37 ) A valve body 44 that can be seated to open and close, and a sealing member 66 that is detachably installed on the surface of the valve body 44 to hermetically contact the seating surface around the carrying opening 37, A maintenance sealing member 68 installed on the outer periphery of the sealing member 66 so as to surround the sealing member 66 at a predetermined distance, and a sealing member when the valve body 44 is seated and installed in the valve housing. The maintenance opening 72 having a size that can be hermetically sealed by the maintenance sealing member 68 while the 66 is exposed, and the outside of the maintenance opening 72 are detachably sealed. It is provided with a maintenance opening/closing cover 74 that is closed so that the valve body 44 is moved between the carrying-in opening and the maintenance opening 72 to be seated, so that the transfer chamber side is not opened to the atmosphere. There is provided a gate valve device capable of replacing the sealing member 66 without.

Here, the sealing member 66 has the same meaning as the O-ring or the sealing member, and the valve body 44 has the same meaning as the sealing plate.

However, in the prior art, since the sealing plate must be moved to the front of the maintenance opening 72 in order to replace the O-ring, the moving distance of the sealing plate is long, so that the support member 98 and the support member 98 connected to the sealing plate are vertically moved. The cylinder to be moved to must be longer and it may take a lot of time when moving the sealing plate to the front of the maintenance opening 72.

In addition, in the prior art, in order to open the chamber, seal the chamber, or exchange the O-ring, the sealing plate must be fixed by moving it to three positions, such as the lowermost end of the gate valve, in front of the carrying opening 37 or in front of the maintenance opening 72. Therefore, the manufacturing method is complicated, and the manufacturing cost may increase.

In addition, since the prior art requires a separate space for O-ring exchange, the gate valve may protrude upward of the chamber, but an impact may be applied to the gate valve by the protruding portion, and space for using other equipment may be limited. .

In addition, the prior art may take a lot of time when exchanging O-rings.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a change in height of a sealing plate over time in the gate valve of FIG. 1.

Here, the height of the sealing plate means the height of the sealing plate in the gate valve when the sealing plate is moved to three positions for opening the chamber, sealing the chamber, or replacing the O-ring in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the gate valve of FIG. 1 is opened to open the chamber, the height of the sealing plate is A, which is the minimum value, and when the gate valve is to be closed for sealing the chamber, the sealing plate is carried in. ), the height of the sealing plate must be increased to the B value.

In addition, since the sealing plate must be moved to the front of the maintenance opening 72 for O-ring replacement, the height of the sealing plate must be increased to the value C. To increase the height of the sealing plate from the B value to the C value, The length of the cylinder for moving the connected support member 98 and the support member 98 up and down should be longer by the difference between the B value and the C value.

However, as the length of the support member 98 and the cylinder increases, the gate valve may become unstable and the manufacturing cost increases. In addition, additional time is required because the sealing plate must be moved higher for O-ring exchange.

On the other hand, the conventional technology for replacing only O-rings cannot be used in doors with integrated O-rings, which are the recent trend, and even if only the O-rings are replaced, the work of inserting the O-rings into the narrow O-ring grooves is very cumbersome and manual. There were problems that it was difficult to maintain airtightness due to damage or incomplete installation of O-rings.

In addition, such conventional O-ring exchange technology requires a very wide area to be opened in order to exchange O-rings. Due to this large area, the volume of the equipment becomes large, which increases the manufacturing cost of the equipment, as well as increases the internal space of the equipment. There are many problems, such as taking a lot of time and cost to form a vacuum pressure.

In addition, the conventional sealing member-replaceable gate valve has many problems, such as a large waste of time and cost, since the time taken for the valve body and the sealing member to reach the thermal equilibrium state after replacement of the sealing member is very long. , The sealing members have problems such that properties such as elasticity are easily deteriorated or damaged due to thermal stress and thermal damage.

The present invention is to solve various problems including the above problems, while maintaining a vacuum state in the chamber, it is possible to easily replace the sealing plate and the sealing members, and minimize the moving distance of the sealing plate so that the gate valve is It operates stably, reduces manufacturing cost, saves the moving time of the sealing plate, saves the space of the gate valve, and minimizes the moving distance of the sealing plate so that the gate valve operates stably, reduces manufacturing cost, and seals. The plate movement time can be saved, the space of the gate valve can be saved, it is possible to judge whether the replaced sealing member is genuine or not, and if it is not genuine, the gate valve can be stopped, and the entire door including the O-ring can be Because it can be replaced, it is possible to greatly reduce the replacement cost and time, and by reducing the volume of the equipment, the unit cost of the equipment and the time and cost of forming vacuum pressure can be reduced. For example, the overall valve housing can be reduced by simply lowering the moving table. It is possible to replace the door without breaking the vacuum, and by installing a heat exchanger on the inner side of the cover, the valve body and the replaced first sealing member can be quickly heated or cooled, greatly reducing equipment preparation time and cost. It is possible to minimize thermal stress and thermal damage by installing the second sealing member in the opening part of the replacement area to move it away from the high-temperature process module, thereby greatly increasing the durability and replacement cycle of the part. It is an object of the present invention to provide a valve system and a control method thereof. However, these problems are exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

A gate valve system according to the spirit of the present invention for solving the above problem includes: a sealing plate for opening and closing a chamber; A support connected to the sealing plate; A driving part that moves the support part up and down; A valve housing having the sealing plate and the support portion therein, and having a passage and an exchange portion; A first sealing member for sealing the passage by the movement of the sealing plate; And a second sealing member sealing the exchange part by the movement of the sealing plate, wherein the driving part moves the sealing plate to a position corresponding to the passage or the exchange part.

On the other hand, the sealing member replacement method of the gate valve system according to the idea of the present invention for solving the above problem is a sealing plate for opening and closing a chamber, a support part connected to the sealing plate, a driving part for moving the support up and down, and the sealing plate. And a valve housing having the support part therein and having a passage and an exchange part, a first sealing member for sealing the passage by movement of the sealing plate, and a second sealing member for sealing the exchange part by movement of the sealing plate. A first valve communicating or shielding the exchange part with the outside of the valve housing, and a second valve communicating or shielding the exchange part with the inside or outside of the valve housing, and the driving part passes the sealing plate to a passage or exchange part A method of replacing a first sealing member of a gate valve for moving to a position corresponding to the method, comprising: sealing the exchange part by moving the sealing plate; Increasing the pressure of the exchange unit through a first valve; Opening the exchange part to the outside; Exchanging the first sealing member provided on the sealing plate; Sealing the exchange part; And reducing the pressure of the exchange unit through the second valve.

On the other hand, the door-replaceable gate valve system according to the spirit of the present invention for solving the above problem, the valve housing in which at least one passage is formed; A door having a first sealing member installed to block the passage; A movable table supporting the door to be detachably attached; A first direction moving device capable of moving the movable table in the valve housing from a standby position to a first position opposite to the passage in a first direction; A second directional moving device installed between the movable table and the door and capable of moving the door from the first position to a second position capable of blocking the passage in a second direction; And when it is installed on the movable table and is moved from the standby position to a third position using the first direction moving device in a third direction, which is a reverse direction of the first direction, the door replacement area of the valve housing can be isolated. It may include an isolation member;

In addition, according to the present invention, the isolation member includes: a lower surface portion formed to correspond to an inner surface of the valve housing; An intermediate inclined portion formed to be connected to the lower surface portion so as to correspond to an inclined surface of the protruding wall portion formed to protrude into the valve housing; And an upper lower surface portion formed to be connected to the intermediate inclined portion so as to correspond to the upper surface of the protruding wall portion.

In addition, according to the present invention, the lower surface portion, the intermediate inclined portion and the upper lower surface portion of the rim or the contact surface of the protruding wall portion so as to release the vacuum only in the door replacement area while maintaining the overall vacuum of the valve housing. A second sealing member may be installed on.

In addition, according to the present invention, the valve housing or the protruding wall portion corresponding to the door replacement area is selected at least one of side, bottom, front, and combinations thereof to form an opening for door replacement, and the door A cover may be installed in the replacement opening.

In addition, according to the present invention, the door may be a slide-replaceable door that can be slid and detached along a rail member installed in the second direction moving device.

Further, according to the present invention, the door may be a fastening and replaceable door that is detachably installed to the second direction moving device using a fixture or a jig.

On the other hand, the door-replaceable gate valve system according to the spirit of the present invention for solving the above problem, the valve housing in which at least one passage is formed; A door having a first sealing member installed to block the passage; A movable table supporting the door to be detachably attached; A first direction moving device capable of moving the movable table in the valve housing from a standby position to a first position opposite to the passage in a first direction; A second directional moving device installed between the movable table and the door and capable of moving the door from the first position to a second position capable of blocking the passage in a second direction; And installed on the second direction moving device or the movable table, and first moving from the standby position to a third position using the first direction moving device, and the third position using the second direction moving device. And an isolation member capable of secondarily moving in the second direction from to the fourth position to isolate the door replacement area of the valve housing.

In addition, according to the present invention, the isolation member may include an isolation plate formed to correspond to a side surface of the protruding wall portion protruding horizontally in a ring shape inside the valve housing.

In addition, according to the present invention, a second sealing member may be installed on the contact surface of the isolation plate or the protruding wall so as to release the vacuum only in the door replacement area while maintaining the overall vacuum of the valve housing.

In addition, according to the present invention, the valve housing or the protruding wall portion corresponding to the door replacement area is selected at least one of side, bottom, front, and combinations thereof to form an opening for door replacement, and the door A cover may be installed in the replacement opening.

In addition, according to the present invention, the door may be a slide-replaceable door that is slidable and detachable along the second direction moving device or the rail member installed on the isolation plate.

Further, according to the present invention, the door may be a fastening and replaceable door that is detachably installed to the second direction moving device using a fixture or a jig.

On the other hand, the gate valve system according to the idea of the present invention for solving the above problem, at least one passage is formed in the valve housing; A valve body in which a first sealing member is installed to block the passage; A moving device capable of moving the valve body in the passage direction; A cover installed in an opening of the replacement area of the valve housing so that the first sealing member can be replaced while maintaining a vacuum state of the vacuum area of the valve housing; And a heat exchange device installed on the cover to heat or cool the valve body or the first sealing member.

According to various embodiments of the present invention made as described above, it is possible to easily replace the sealing plate and sealing members while maintaining a vacuum state in the chamber, and minimize the moving distance of the sealing plate so that the gate valve is stable. It operates, reduces manufacturing cost, saves the moving time of the sealing plate, saves the space of the gate valve, minimizes the moving distance of the sealing plate, ensures that the gate valve operates stably and reduces the manufacturing cost. You can save moving time, save space on the gate valve, judge whether the replaced sealing member is genuine, stop the operation of the gate valve if it is not, and replace the entire door including O-rings. Therefore, the replacement cost and time can be greatly reduced, and the unit cost of the equipment and the vacuum pressure formation time and cost can be reduced by reducing the volume of the equipment. For example, the overall vacuum of the valve housing is not broken by simply lowering the moving table. By allowing the door to be replaced without requiring replacement of the door, the durability and performance of the equipment can be improved by simplifying the operation and operation of the equipment, and by installing a heat exchange device on the inner side of the cover that can face the valve body, Since the first sealing member can be quickly heated or cooled, it is possible to greatly reduce the preparation time and cost of the equipment, and by installing the second sealing member in the opening part of the replacement area to move away from the high temperature process module, thermal stress and thermal stress Damage can be minimized, and through this, the durability and replacement cycle of parts can be greatly increased. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a side view illustrating an example of a conventional gate valve.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a change in height of a sealing plate over time in the gate valve of FIG. 1.
3A and 3B are side views illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
4 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
5 is a front view illustrating an example of a sealing plate according to the present invention.
6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D are side views illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
7 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
8 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
9 is a view showing a change in height of a sealing plate over time in a gate valve according to the present invention.
10A, 10B and 10C are side views illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for replacing a sealing member according to the present invention.
12 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
13 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
14 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
15 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.
16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for replacing a sealing member according to the present invention.
17 is an exterior perspective view of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
18 is an exploded perspective view of a part showing the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 17.
19 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 17.
20 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 17.
21 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a door of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 17.
22 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 17.
23 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening of FIG. 17.
24 is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of the door replacement opening of FIG. 17.
25 is a diagram illustrating a normal operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 17.
26 is a diagram illustrating a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 17.
FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 17.
28 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a door-replaceable gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention.
29 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of identifying genuine products of a door of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 17.
FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process of identifying genuine products of a door of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 29.
FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a door of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view of a component assembly showing the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 31.
33 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged door of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 31.
FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view showing a door of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 31.
35 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a door of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
36 is an exterior perspective view of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
37 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 36.
38 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 36.
39 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 36.
40 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a door of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 36.
41 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening of the door replacement type gate valve system of FIG. 36;
42 is a perspective view showing still another example of the door replacement opening of FIG. 36.
43 is a cross-sectional view showing still another example of the door replacement opening of FIG. 36.
44 is a diagram illustrating a normal operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 36.
45 is a diagram illustrating a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 36.
46 is a flow chart showing an operation process of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 36.
47 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a door-replaceable gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention.
48 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing a door of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
49 is a cross-sectional view of a component assembly showing the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 48.
50 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged door of the door replacement type gate valve system of FIG. 48;
51 is a cross-sectional view showing a door of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 48;
52 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing a door of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
53 is an exterior perspective view of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
54 is a cross-sectional view of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 53;
55 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53;
FIG. 56 is a perspective view illustrating a valve housing of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53.
FIG. 57 is an exploded perspective view showing a valve housing of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53.
58 is a perspective view illustrating a door of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53.
59 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a fastening state of a door of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 53.
60 is a perspective view illustrating an anti-friction member of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53.
61 is a perspective view illustrating the anti-friction member of FIG. 60.
62 is a perspective view showing an isolation plate of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53;
63 is a side view showing an open state of an opening of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53;
FIG. 64 is a side view showing an open state of a guide pin member of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53.
65 is a side view showing a closed state of a guide pin member of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53.
66 is a perspective view showing a pin-type jig of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 53;
67 is a perspective view showing a use state of a fastening jig and a chamber jig of a single-type jig in a door-replaceable gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention.
68 is a perspective view showing a state of use of a multi-type jig of a door-replaceable gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
69 is an enlarged perspective view showing a chamber-type jig of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 67;
FIG. 70 is a perspective view illustrating a door detection sensor of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 68.
71 is an enlarged view illustrating the door detection sensor of FIG. 70 on an enlarged scale.
72 are step diagrams illustrating a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
73 is a flowchart illustrating a door replacement method of a door replacement gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
74 is an exterior perspective view of a gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
75 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the gate valve system of FIG. 74.
76 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state of the passage of the gate valve system of FIG. 75;
77 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve body in a reversed state of the gate valve system of FIG. 76;
78 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the valve body is lowered in the gate valve system of FIG. 77;
79 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state of the replacement area of the gate valve system of FIG. 78;
80 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a lid is opened and a sealing member is separated from the gate valve system of FIG. 79;
81 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of replacing the sealing member of the gate valve system of FIG. 80;
82 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of fastening and heating or cooling a cover of the gate valve system of FIG. 81.
83 is a perspective view showing an example of a pivoting lid of the gate valve system of FIG. 74;
84 is a perspective view showing an example of a sliding cover of the gate valve system of FIG. 74;
85 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a closed state of a replacement area of a gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention.
86 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a cover is opened and a sealing plate is separated in the gate valve system of FIG. 85.
87 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a heat exchange device of a gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
88 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a valve body of a gate valve system according to still other embodiments of the present invention.
89 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a replaceable block of a gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 90 is a front view showing the sealing plate of the gate valve system of FIG. 85;
91 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a sealing plate of the gate valve system of FIG. 90.
92 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the sealing plate of the gate valve system of FIG. 91.
93 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.
94 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely describe the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the following examples may be modified in various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to the examples. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more faithful and complete, and to completely convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In addition, in the drawings, the thickness or size of each layer is exaggerated for convenience and clarity of description.

The terms used in this specification are used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular form may include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates another case. Further, as used herein, "comprise" and/or "comprising" specifies the presence of the mentioned shapes, numbers, steps, actions, members, elements and/or groups thereof. And does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other shapes, numbers, actions, members, elements, and/or groups.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings schematically showing ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, for example, depending on manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, variations of the illustrated shape can be expected. Accordingly, the embodiments of the inventive concept should not be construed as being limited to the specific shape of the region shown in the present specification, but should include, for example, a change in shape caused by manufacturing.

The gate valve disclosed in the following embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to each drawing.

3A and 3B are side views illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

3A and 3B, in the gate valve 100, the opening 210 of the first chamber 200 faces the second passage 152b, and the opening 310 of the second chamber 300 is the first. It may be provided between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 to face the passage (152a).

The gate valve 100 may include a sealing plate 110, a horizontal driving part 120, a support part 130, a driving part 140, and a valve housing 150.

The first chamber 200 may be coupled to the gate valve 100 and may send an object to be processed, such as a wafer, to the second chamber 300 or receive the object to be processed from the second chamber 300 through the opening 210. have.

The second chamber 300 may be coupled to the gate valve 100 and is processed after receiving an object to be processed, such as a wafer, from the first chamber 200 or sending the object to the first chamber 200 through the opening 310. Can be done.

However, the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 need not necessarily transmit or receive the object to be processed and may correspond to independent process chambers.

After looking at FIG. 4 first, each configuration of the gate valve 100 of FIGS. 3A and 3B will be described in detail.

4 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the gate valve 100 may include a sealing plate 110, a support part 130, a driving part 140, a valve housing 150, and an exchange part 154.

The exchange part 154 may be located on any one of the front surface 154a, the lower surface 154c, or the side surface 154d of the gate valve 100 as shown in FIG. 4, and unlike FIG. 4, the exchange part 154 May be located across the front and bottom, front and side, bottom and side, or front and bottom and sides of the gate valve 100.

On the other hand, when the exchange part 154 is located over any two of the front, lower, and side surfaces of the gate valve 100, or over three surfaces of the front, lower, and side surfaces, the exchange part 154 becomes wider, which will be described later. 1 It may be easy to replace the sealing member 112.

Hereinafter, the case where the exchange unit 154 is located in the front side will be mainly described.

Returning to FIG. 3A again, each configuration of the gate valve 100 will be described.

The sealing plate 110 may be connected to the support part 130. More specifically, when the sealing plate 110 may be coupled to the support 130 through the horizontal driving unit 120 and the driving unit 140 performs the function of the horizontal driving unit 120 so that the horizontal driving unit 120 is unnecessary The sealing plate 110 may be directly coupled to the support 130.

The configuration of the sealing plate 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

5 is a front view illustrating an example of a sealing plate according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the sealing plate 110 may include a first sealing member 112 and a second sealing member 114 surrounding the first sealing member 112 on a front surface. Here, the first sealing member 112 and the second sealing member 114 may correspond to an O-ring.

In addition, the front surface of the sealing plate 110 borders the first sealing member 112 provided on the front surface, and the inner region A of the first sealing member 112 is a part used when sealing the chamber and the first sealing member 112 The outer region B of the member 112 can be distinguished as a part used only when sealing the exchange part 154.

The first sealing member 112 may have various shapes depending on the shape of the first passage 152a connected to the chamber, and may be coupled to the front surface of the sealing plate 110. The first sealing member 112 performs a function of sealing the chamber by sealing the first passage 152a by the movement of the sealing plate 110, and may be damaged by chemical substances generated by the process in the chamber. Need to be replaced.

On the other hand, the first sealing member 112 is provided on the inner surface of the valve housing 150 in a form surrounding the first passage 152a at a distance from the first passage 152a, not the front surface of the sealing plate 110 It could be.

The second sealing member 114 may have various shapes according to the shape of the exchange unit 154 and may be coupled to the front surface of the sealing plate 110 to surround the first sealing member 112. The second sealing member 114 seals the exchange part 154 by the movement of the sealing plate 110 so that the inside of the gate valve 100 can be replaced with the first sealing member 112 while maintaining a vacuum. I can do it.

On the other hand, the second sealing member 114 may be provided on the inner surface of the valve housing 150 in a form that surrounds the sealing plate 110 with a space therebetween instead of the front surface of the sealing plate 110 as shown in FIG. 3B.

It is important that the second sealing member 114 is not used while the first sealing member 112 is in close contact with the chamber to seal the chamber, but is used only when the first sealing member 112 is replaced. This is because in order to regularly replace the first sealing member 112 while maintaining a vacuum through the second sealing member 114, the second sealing member 114 must not be damaged.

6A to 6D are described to see a method for selectively using the first sealing member 112 and the second sealing member 114.

6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are side views exemplarily showing an example of a state of a gate valve according to the present invention.

6A to 6D, the gate valve 100 may have four states as the sealing plate 110 moves back and forth or up and down.

In addition, the sealing plate 110 may have a protrusion formed in a central portion of the surface thereof, so that a first sealing member 112 may be provided at the protruding part, and a second sealing member 114 may be provided at a peripheral part surrounding the protruding part.

Using this, when the sealing plate 110 closes the first passage 152a as shown in FIG. 6B, only the first sealing member 112 is used and the sealing plate 110 seals the exchange part 154 as shown in FIG. 6D. If so, the gate valve 100 may be configured so that only the second sealing member 114 is used.

However, it is not limited to this method, and the gate valve 100 may be configured so that the first sealing member 112 and the second sealing member 114 are selectively used in various ways, which will be described in FIGS. 7 and 8.

7 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the first sealing member 112 and the second sealing member 114 are formed parallel to each other on the same plane without having a protrusion on the sealing plate 110, and the groove is formed along the first passage 152a. When the first sealing member 112 is in close contact with the first passage 152a by configuring 151, the second sealing member 114 is positioned above the groove 151 so that the second sealing member 114 is used. It is possible to configure the gate valve 100 so that it is not.

8 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the second sealing member 114 may be provided on the inner surface of the valve housing 150 at a distance from the exchange part 154 rather than the front surface of the sealing plate 110. In this case, the sealing plate If the first sealing member 112 is in close contact with the first passageway 152a even if the protrusion is not provided on the 110, the second sealing member 114 is not used.

The horizontal drive unit 120 may be coupled to the rear surface of the sealing plate 110 and the support unit 130.

The horizontal driving part 120 advances the sealing plate 110 so that the first sealing member 112 is in close contact with the first passage 152a as shown in FIG. 6B or the second sealing member in the exchange part 154 as shown in FIG. 6D. (114) can be made close.

In addition, the horizontal drive unit 120 moves the sealing plate 110 backward so that the first sealing member 112 is separated from the first passage 152a as shown in FIG. 6A or the second sealing member 112 is separated from the exchange unit 154 as shown in FIG. 6C. The sealing member 114 may be separated.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6A or 6C, the vertical movement of the sealing plate 110 may be easy only when the sealing plate 110 is moved backward.

However, it is also possible to move the sealing plate 110 back and forth through another method that does not use the horizontal drive unit 120. In this case, since the horizontal drive unit 120 is unnecessary, the sealing plate 110 may be directly coupled to the support unit 130. I can.

For example, the driving unit 140 may be configured to automatically incline forward after the support unit 130 is moved up and down, and may be configured to automatically incline backward while the support unit 130 is moving up and down.

In this case, the sealing plate 110 coupled to the support 130 may also be inclined forward or backward to obtain an effect of the sealing plate 110 moving forward or backward, so that the horizontal driving part 120 may be unnecessary.

The support 130 may be connected to the sealing plate 110. More specifically, when the support 130 may be coupled to the sealing plate 110 through the horizontal driving unit 120 and the driving unit 140 performs the function of the horizontal driving unit 120 so that the horizontal driving unit 120 is unnecessary The support 130 may be directly coupled to the sealing plate 110.

In addition, the support unit 130 may be coupled to the driving unit 140 to move the sealing plate 110 up and down.

The driving unit 140 may be coupled to the support unit 130 to move the support unit 130 up and down, and then fix the support unit 130 at the moved position.

More specifically, the drive unit 140 moves the support unit 130 up and down to move the sealing plate 110 coupled to the support unit 130 to a position corresponding to the first passage 152a as shown in FIG. 6A or After moving to a position corresponding to the exchange unit 154 as shown in 6c, it can be fixed.

In this way, the driving unit 140 is configured such that the sealing plate 110 moves and is fixed only at two positions corresponding to the corresponding position of the first passage 152a or the corresponding position of the exchange unit 154. The distance that the sealing plate 110 must move up and down can be reduced and the manufacturing method is simplified, so that the gate valve 100 can be more stable and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. .

In addition, when the distance in which the sealing plate 110 must move up and down decreases, the length of the support part 130 may be reduced, and a cylinder provided inside the driving part 140 to move the support part 130 (not shown) The length of can also be reduced. Accordingly, the size of the gate valve 100 may be reduced, thereby saving space, reducing manufacturing cost, and shortening the time for moving the sealing plate.

In addition, since the sealing plate 110 may shake a lot as it moves away from the driving unit 140, the sealing effect may gradually decrease. If the driving unit 140 is configured so that the sealing plate 110 moves and is fixed only at two positions, the driving unit Since the distance from 140 to the position of the sealing plate 110 that is maximally distant from 140 can be reduced, the problem of reducing the sealing effect due to a large distance can be improved.

The valve housing 150 may have a sealing plate 110 and a support part 130 therein, and a passage 152 and an exchange part 154 may be formed in the valve housing 150. At one side of the valve housing 150, the first passage 152a and the exchange part 154 may be formed at the upper and lower portions, respectively, and may be formed by changing the top and bottom. In addition, a second passage 152b may be formed on the other side of the valve housing 150.

The exchange part 154 may be formed on the front, bottom, or side surfaces of the valve housing 150 as shown in FIG. 4, or may be formed over two or more of the front, bottom, or side surfaces of the valve housing 150. .

In addition, the exchange part 154 may be formed at a lower height than the passage 152. The exchange unit 154 may exchange the first sealing member 112 while maintaining a vacuum.

In addition, the exchange part 154 may include an exchange opening 155 formed on one side of the valve housing 150, as shown in FIG. 6A, and the gate valve 100 is an exchange cover for opening and closing the exchange opening 155 It may include 160.

The exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 may be formed between the first sealing member 112 and the second sealing member 114. That is, when the sealing plate 110 is moved to seal the exchange opening 155, the first sealing member 112 is included inside the exchange opening 155, and the outside of the exchange opening 155 is removed. 2 It may be surrounded by the sealing member 114.

In this way, even if the exchange cover 160 is opened by the second sealing member 114 surrounding the exchange opening 155, the inside of the gate valve 100 can maintain a vacuum, and for replacement while maintaining the vacuum The first sealing member 112 may be exchanged through the opening 155.

The second passage 152b and the first passage 152a may function as passages through which an object to be processed, such as a wafer, can be moved between the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300, and the exchange unit 154 Makes it possible to exchange the first sealing member 112 from the outside.

The first passage 152a, the exchange unit 154 and the second passage 152b will be described with reference to FIG. 3A again.

In FIG. 3A, the second passage 152b may be configured to face the opening 210 of the first chamber 200 and the first passage 152a may be configured to face the opening 310 of the second chamber 300. .

In addition, the second chamber 300 may be configured to be recessed in the front portion of the exchange unit 154. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the exchange part 154 is located in the front of the gate valve 100, a space is provided between the front surface of the exchange part 154 and the second chamber 300, so that the first This is to allow the sealing member 112 to be easily exchanged.

However, unlike FIG. 3A, when the exchange part 154 is located on the lower surface or the side of the gate valve 100, the space may be unnecessary. This is because there may be no chamber in front of the lower surface or the side of the gate valve 100.

In FIG. 3A, since the sealing plate 110 moves downward and is in a position corresponding to the exchange unit 154, there is no obstacle between the second passage 152b and the first passage 152a, so that the first chamber 200 and the The second chamber 300 may move an object to be processed such as a wafer through the gate valve 100.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 are gate valves not only when the gate valve 100 is in the state as in FIG. 6C but also when the gate valve 100 is in the state as in FIG. 6D. Through 100, a target object such as a wafer can be moved.

However, unlike FIG. 3A, when the gate valve 100 is in the state shown in FIG. 6A or 6B, the sealing plate 110 is positioned between the second passage 152b and the first passage 152a, and thus the first chamber 200 and the second chamber 300 may not be able to move an object to be processed such as a wafer through the gate valve 100.

The process process can be as follows.

The first step is the loading or unloading of the object to be processed, and the gate valve 100 is in a state as shown in FIG. 6C and the second chamber 300 receives the object to be processed from the first chamber 200 or the first chamber 200. You can send the object to be processed.

The second step is an upward movement step, and the gate valve 100 moves the sealing plate 110 upward so that it is in a state as shown in FIG. 6A.

The third step is a sealing step, in which the gate valve 100 advances the sealing plate 110 to close the first passage 152a and close the second chamber 300 to be in a state as shown in FIG. 6B.

The fourth step is a process processing step, and the second chamber 300 may perform a process in a closed state.

The fifth step is an opening step, in which the gate valve 100 moves the sealing plate 110 backward to open the first passage 152a and open the second chamber 300, and is in a state as shown in FIG. 6A.

The sixth step is a downward movement step, and the gate valve 100 moves the sealing plate 110 downward to be in a state as shown in FIG. 6C.

In this way, the first passage 152a and the exchange part 154 are formed on one side of the valve housing 150 in the upper and lower portions, respectively, and the driving part 140 is provided at the lower part of the valve housing 150, thereby forming the sealing plate 110 When) moves downward and the gate valve 100 is opened, the first sealing member 112 may be exchanged through the exchange unit 154 to minimize the moving distance of the sealing plate 110.

9 is a view showing a change in height of a sealing plate over time in a gate valve according to the present invention.

Here, the height of the sealing plate 110 means the sealing plate 110 in the gate valve 100 when the sealing plate 110 is moved to open the chamber, close the chamber, or exchange the first sealing member 112. ) Means the height.

Referring to FIG. 9, when the sealing plate 110 moves downward to open the chamber and the gate valve 100 is opened, the height of the sealing plate 110 is A, which is the minimum value, and the gate valve 100 is opened to seal the chamber. In the case of closing, since the sealing plate 110 must be moved to the front of the first passage 152a, the height of the sealing plate 110 must be increased to the B value.

However, in order to replace the first sealing member 112, it is not necessary to further increase the sealing plate 110, unlike FIG. 1, which is a prior art. This is because when the height of the sealing plate 110 becomes the minimum (A) and the gate valve 100 is opened, the first sealing member 112 can be replaced through the exchange unit 154.

That is, unlike FIG. 2, since the maximum height (B) of the sealing plate 110 is the same as the height (B) when the gate valve 100 is closed, the support unit 130 and the driving unit for moving the sealing plate 110 It is possible to minimize the length of the cylinder provided in the inside of (140). When the lengths of the support part 130 and the cylinder are minimized, the driving part 140 is stabilized and manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, it is not necessary to move the sealing plate 110 higher in order to replace the first sealing member 112, so time can be saved.

On the other hand, the present invention does not require a space protruding upward in order to exchange the first sealing member 112, unlike FIG. 1, which is the prior art, and thus space can be saved.

The exchange cover 160 is coupled to the valve housing 150 and may open and close the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 formed in the valve housing 150.

In spite of the exchange opening 155, the exchange cover 160 may close the exchange opening 155 so that the inside of the gate valve 100 maintains a vacuum. Therefore, in order to exchange the first sealing member 112 through the exchange opening 155, the exchange cover 160 must be opened.

On the other hand, even after opening the exchange cover 160, in order to maintain the vacuum inside the gate valve 100, the second sealing member 114 may be in close contact with the exchange opening 155 as shown in FIG. 6D.

On the other hand, when the second sealing member is provided on the inner surface of the valve housing 150 as shown in FIGS. 3B and 8, the second sealing member 114 surrounding the exchange opening 155 by moving the sealing plate 110 forward. ) To maintain the vacuum inside the gate valve 100 even after opening the exchange cover 160.

10A, 10B and 10C are side views illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the gate valve 100 may further include a supply machine 170 and an exhaust system 180.

The supply machine 170 may be configured to include a first flow path 172 communicating with the outside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange part 154 and a first valve 174 that opens and closes the first flow path 172. have.

Here, the outside of the valve housing 150 may mean a gas supplier provided outside the valve housing 150 and supplying inert gas or clean air.

The exhaust system 180 includes a second flow path 182 communicating with the inside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange part 154 as shown in FIG. 10A and a second valve 184 that opens and closes the second flow path 182. As shown in FIG. 10B, it may be configured to include a second flow path 182 communicating with the outside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange unit 154 and a second valve 184 that opens and closes the second flow path 182. have.

Here, the inside of the valve housing 150 means a space inside the valve housing 150 where vacuum is maintained when the first sealing member 112 is replaced, and the outside of the valve housing 150 means the valve housing 150 ) It may refer to a vacuum suction device provided outside to suck gas.

The first valve 174 is connected to the first flow path 172 and may be located outside the valve housing 150. The first valve 174 may communicate or shield the outside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange part 154.

For example, when the inside of the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 is vacuum, when the first valve 174 is opened, it is provided outside the valve housing 150 to supply an inert gas or clean air. The air supplied from the feeder may be introduced into the exchange opening 155 through the first flow path 172 and may increase until the pressure inside the exchange opening 155 becomes atmospheric pressure.

The second valve 184 is connected to the second flow path 182 and may be located inside or outside the valve housing 150. The second valve 184 may communicate or shield the inside or outside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange part 154. More specifically, it is as follows.

First, an example in which the second valve 184 communicates or shields the inside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange unit 154 as shown in FIG. 10A will be described.

When the inside of the valve housing 150 is vacuum and the pressure of the air in the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 is atmospheric pressure, the air in the exchange opening 155 is opened when the second valve 184 is opened. Is discharged into the valve housing 150 maintained in a vacuum state through the second flow path 182, so that the pressure inside the exchange opening 155 may be reduced.

In this way, if air is discharged into the valve housing 150 to depressurize the exchange opening 155, a separate vacuum aspirator is unnecessary, and cost can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the second valve 184 is located inside the valve housing 150, an operation means (not shown) for operating the second valve 184 is provided outside the valve housing 150 can do.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, an example in which the second valve 184 communicates or shields the outside of the valve housing 150 and the exchange unit 154 will be described.

When the pressure of the air inside the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 is atmospheric pressure, the second valve 184 is opened, and it is provided outside the valve housing 150 to suction gas. (155) The pressure inside the exchange opening 155 may decrease due to the outflow of air inside.

Meanwhile, unlike FIGS. 10A and 10B, the supply machine 170 and the exhaust system 180 may be configured as a single common valve. At this time, a single valve can be connected to a single pump capable of both gas supply and vacuum suction.

In addition, unlike FIGS. 10A and 10B, each of the supply machine 170 and the exhaust system 180 may be configured with a plurality of valves to precisely control the pressure. For example, the supply machine 170 may be composed of two valves for supplying and exhausting, and the exhaust system 180 may also be composed of two valves for supplying and exhausting.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 10C, the supply machine 170 and the exhaust system 180 may be configured to include an air supply opening 173 and an exhaust opening 183 instead of the first flow passage 172 and the second flow passage 182. May be. The air supply opening 173 and the exhaust opening 183 may be openings formed inside a wall constituting the valve housing 150.

A method of replacing the first sealing member 112 using the first valve 174 and the second valve 184 will be described in FIG. 11.

11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for replacing a sealing member according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the sealing member replacement method 500 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a downward movement step 510 to an exchange part inner opening step 580.

In the downward movement step 510, the sealing plate 110 is moved downward so that it is in a state as shown in FIG. 6C.

In the exchange part sealing step 520, the second sealing member 114 provided on the sealing plate 110 is in close contact with the exchange part 154 by advancing the sealing plate 110, thereby sealing the exchange part 154. It is in the same state as in Figure 6d.

In the atmospheric pressure conversion step 530, the pressure of the exchange unit 154 may be slowly increased by opening the first valve 174.

In step 540 of opening the exchange part outside, the exchange part 154 may be opened to the outside. For example, by opening the exchange cover 160 from the outside, the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 may be opened to the outside.

In the sealing member replacement step 550, the first sealing member 112 provided on the sealing plate 110 may be replaced.

In the exchange part sealing step 560, the exchange part 154 opened to the outside may be sealed. For example, by closing the exchange cover 160 from the outside, the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 may be sealed.

In the vacuum switching step 570, the pressure of the exchange unit 154 may be slowly reduced by opening the second valve 184.

In the exchange part internal opening step 580, the sealing plate 110 is moved backward to open the exchange part 154 to the inside, and it is in a state as shown in FIG. 6C.

12 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, an inclined surface 156 may be formed in the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 so as to increase the cross-sectional area from the inside to the outside. The inclined surface 156 is provided at the edge of the sealing plate 110 so that the first sealing member 112, which is difficult to replace, can be quickly and easily replaced.

13 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, a protruding needle 162 coupled to the first sealing member 112 may be formed on the exchange cover 160, and the protruding needle 162 may be formed in plural. The protruding needle 162 may be coupled to the first sealing member 112 when the sealing plate 110 is moved forward in the exchange part sealing step 520 of FIG. 11.

The protruding needle 162 is provided at the edge of the sealing plate 110 so that the first sealing member 112, which is difficult to replace, can be quickly and easily recovered and replaced.

14 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, since the gate valve 100 may have one sealing plate 110 on both sides of the support 130, each sealing plate 110 includes a first passage 152a and a second passage 152b. ) Can be sealed. In addition, the first sealing member 112 provided in each of the sealing plates 110 on both sides may be replaced through the first exchange opening 155a and the second exchange opening 155b.

15 is a side view illustrating an example of a gate valve according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the first sealing member 112 may be configured to include an identification tag 113, and the gate valve 100 may be configured to further include an identification unit 190 and a control unit 195. .

The identification tag 113 may be combined with the first sealing member 112 or provided inside the first sealing member 112 or printed on the surface of the first sealing member 112, and the identification tag 113 may be used as a first Information on the sealing member 112 may be provided. For example, the identification tag 113 may be a QR code, a barcode, or a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag.

The identification unit 190 may be coupled to the valve housing 150 or the sealing plate 110 and provided inside the gate valve 100 and may identify the identification tag 113 of the first sealing member 112. . For example, the identification unit 190 may be a reader capable of recognizing a QR code, a barcode, or an RFID tag.

The control unit 195 may be provided inside or outside the gate valve 100 to control the gate valve 100. More specifically, the control unit 195 includes the driving unit 140, the sealing plate 110, and the exchange cover 160 according to the identification result of the identification unit 190 identifying the identification tag 113 of the first sealing member 112. ), the gate valve 100 may be controlled by controlling at least one of the first valve 174 or the second valve 184.

The operation of the controller 195 will be described with reference to FIG. 16.

16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for replacing a sealing member according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 16, a method 500 for replacing the sealing member according to an embodiment may include a step 610 to stop the operation of the exchange part 695.

In the exchange part sealing step 610, the second sealing member 114 provided in the sealing plate 110 by moving the sealing plate 110 downward to be in a state as shown in FIG. 6C, and then moving the sealing plate 110 forward. The exchange part 154 can be sealed by intimate contact with the exchange part 154 or by advancing the sealing plate 110 to the second sealing member 114 provided on the inner surface of the valve housing 150. It will be in the same state as 6d.

In the atmospheric pressure conversion step 620, the pressure of the exchange unit 154 may be slowly increased by opening the first valve 174.

In the exchange unit external opening step 630, the exchange unit 154 may be opened to the outside. For example, by opening the exchange cover 160 from the outside, the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 may be opened to the outside.

In the sealing member replacement step 640, the first sealing member 112 provided on the sealing plate 110 may be replaced.

In the sealing member identification step 650, the identification unit 190 may identify the tag 113 of the exchanged first sealing member 112 and transmit the identification result to the control unit 195. The control unit 195 allows the exchange unit sealing step 660 to the exchange unit internal opening step 680 to be performed if the transmitted identification result matches the predetermined identification information. If there is a discrepancy, the display step 690 and the shutdown step 695 may be performed.

Here, inconsistency with the identification information may mean, for example, a case where the exchanged first sealing member 112 is not genuine, and in this case, the control unit 195 causes the operation stop step 695 to be performed to perform the gate It is possible to stop the operation of the valve 100.

In the exchange part sealing step 660, the exchange part 154 opened to the outside may be sealed. For example, by closing the exchange cover 160 from the outside, the exchange opening 155 included in the exchange part 154 may be sealed.

In the vacuum switching step 670, the pressure of the exchange unit 154 may be slowly reduced by opening the second valve 184.

In the exchange part inner opening step 680, the sealing plate 110 is moved backward to open the exchange part 154 to the inside, and it is in a state as shown in FIG. 6C.

In the display step 690, the controller 195 may visually or audibly inform the user of information indicating that the exchanged identification result of the first sealing member 112 is inconsistent with the predetermined identification information.

In the shutdown step 695, the control unit 195 prevents the exchange cover 160 from being closed, the second valve 184 cannot be opened, or the sealing plate 110 from reversing, so that the gate valve 100 is It can be prevented from being used.

At this time, if the control unit 195 cannot open the second valve 184, the exchange unit 154 maintains an atmospheric pressure state.

In this way, by controlling the use of the gate valve according to the identification result of the exchanged first sealing member 112, the process is prevented from proceeding with the first sealing member 112 incorrectly replaced with an improper sealing member. And it is possible to ensure that the gate valve is well maintained in a vacuum state, and can be used by replacing only the authorized first sealing member 112.

Meanwhile, the sealing member identification step 650 may be performed after the exchange part sealing step 660. That is, after sealing the exchange unit 154 opened to the outside, the identification unit 190 may identify the exchanged first sealing member 112.

At this time, the control unit 195 may prevent the gate valve 100 from being used in the process by preventing the second valve 184 from being opened or the sealing plate 110 backward in the operation stopping step 695. .

Meanwhile, a door-replaceable gate valve system 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1400 according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, the door may be substantially the same as the sealing plate or may be a concept including the sealing plate.

17 is an external perspective view illustrating a door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17, and FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17.

First, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 according to some embodiments of the present invention is largely a valve housing 10, a door 20, and a movable table ( 30), a first direction moving device 40, a second direction moving device 50, and an isolation member 60 may be included.

For example, the valve housing 10 is an overall hollow box-shaped structure, and at least one passage 10a may be formed.

Here, the valve housing 10 has the passages 10a on one or both sides so that various objects such as high-tech semiconductor devices such as semiconductor chips, wafers, LCD panels, OLED panels, display devices, and other medical devices can enter and exit. It may be a structure to be formed.

The valve housing 10 includes the door 20, the movable table 30, the first direction moving device 40, the second direction moving device 50, and the isolation member. It may support 60, and may be a structure having sufficient strength and durability to be connected to various chambers. However, the valve housing 10 is not limited to the drawings, as conceptually illustrated in the drawings, and a wide variety of types and types of passages or valve housings may be applied.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the door 20 is a type of valve body in which a first sealing member S1 is installed to block the passage 10a, and the door 20 ) May be formed according to the detective of the passage 10a so as to correspond to the shape of the passage 10a. Here, the first sealing member S1 may be a sealing member such as an O-ring or a gasket for airtightness.

Such, the door 20 is shown to obtain understanding, and is not limited to the drawings, and may be installed in various numbers, various sealing members, various joints, hinge structures, etc. may be additionally installed.

In addition, for example, as shown in Figs. 17 to 19, the movable table 30 is a structure similar to a kind of head block that supports the door 20 so that it can be detachably attached, and moves in the first direction to be described later. It can be installed to be movable by means of the device 40. However, of course, the movable table 30 is not limited to the drawings.

In addition, for example, as shown in Figs. 17 to 19, the first direction moving device 40, the valve housing 10, the movable table 30 in a standby position to face the passage (10a) Various types of actuators such as cylinders, motors, power transmission devices, gearboxes, etc. that can move in the first direction to the first position to be used can be applied.

In addition, for example, as shown in Figs. 17 to 19, the second direction moving device 50, as being installed between the movable table 30 and the door 20, the door 20 Various types of actuators such as cylinders, motors, power transmission devices, gear boxes, etc. that can move in the second direction from the first position to a second position that can block the passage 10a can be applied.

Here, in FIGS. 17 to 19, the first direction moving device 40 is a lifting cylinder, and the second direction moving device 50 is illustrated as a sealing cylinder, but various shapes and types in various directions All mobile devices can be applied.

Accordingly, the door 20 may be raised or lowered from the standby position to the first position by the first direction moving device 40 inside the valve housing 10, and then, the door 20 may move in the second direction. By means of the device 50, the passage 10a can be selectively opened and closed by being moved back and forth from the first position to the second position.

In addition, for example, as shown in Figs. 17 to 19, the isolation member 60, as being installed on the movable table 30, in the standby position by using the first direction moving device 40 When moved to the third position in a third direction opposite to the first direction, it may be a plate structure that is bent in an L-shape as a whole capable of isolating the door replacement area A of the valve housing 10. .

More specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the isolation member 60 includes a lower lower surface part 61 formed to correspond to the inner surface F1 of the valve housing 10. , An intermediate inclined portion 62 formed to be connected to the lower lower surface portion 61 to correspond to an inclined surface F2 of the protruding wall portion W formed to protrude into the inside of the valve housing 10, and the protruding wall portion ( It may include an upper lower surface part 63 formed to be connected to the intermediate inclined part 62 so as to correspond to the upper surface F3 of W).

In other words, the isolation member 60 is a simple downward movement, the lower surface portion 61 of the isolation member 60, the intermediate inclined portion 62, and the upper lower surface portion 63 is the valve housing 10 ), the inclined surface F2 of the protruding wall portion W, and the upper surface F3 are in close contact with each other to isolate the door replacement area A.

At this time, the contact surface of the protruding wall part (W) or the lower surface part (61) of the protruding wall part (W), and the intermediate inclination so as to release the vacuum only in the door replacement area (A) while maintaining the overall vacuum of the valve housing 10. A second sealing member S2 may be installed at the edge portion of the portion 62 and the upper lower surface portion 63. Here, the second sealing member S2 may be a sealing member such as an O-ring or a gasket for airtightness.

More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, the door replacement area A has an internal vacuum line 71 connected to the housing vacuum area B, in which the first valve V1 is installed, and The second valve V2 may be installed, and a vacuum release line 72 connected to an external air or clean air supply source may be connected.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 19, after the isolation member 60 isolates the door replacement area A, the second valve V2 receives a vacuum pressure release control signal by the control unit 70. When the vacuum release line 72 is opened, the vacuum pressure in the door replacement area A is released, and the cover C, which will be described later, is opened, and the door 20 is opened through the door replacement opening H. Can be replaced.

In this case, the door replacement region A is in an isolated state, and the housing vacuum region B may maintain a vacuum state.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 19, after the door 20 is replaced, the first valve V2, which covers the cover C, and receives a vacuum pressure formation control signal by the control unit 70, is When the vacuum release line 72 is closed, while the first valve V1 opens the internal vacuum line 71, the door replacement area A communicates with the housing vacuum area B. As a result, a vacuum pressure of the same pressure can be formed, and through this, a normal door opening and closing operation is possible under a vacuum environment.

Therefore, through this process, it is possible to replace the door 20 without breaking the vacuum pressure in the housing vacuum region B.

20 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17.

According to another embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the door replacement area A is provided with a third valve V3 and an external vacuum line 73 connected to an external pump PUMP. ) And the fourth valve V4 are installed, and a vacuum release line 74 connected to an external air or clean air supply source may be connected.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 20, after the isolation member 60 isolates the door replacement area A, the fourth valve V2 receives a vacuum pressure release control signal by the control unit 70. When the vacuum release line 74 is opened, the vacuum pressure in the door replacement area A is released, and the cover C, which will be described later, is opened, and the door 20 is opened through the door replacement opening H. Can be replaced.

In this case, the door replacement region A is in an isolated state, and the housing vacuum region B may maintain a vacuum state.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 20, after the door 20 is replaced, the fourth valve V4, which covers the cover C, and receives a vacuum pressure formation control signal by the control unit 70, is When the vacuum release line 74 is closed, on the other hand, when the third valve V3 opens the external vacuum line 71, the door replacement area A is subjected to a vacuum pressure by the pump PUMP. This can be formed, and through this, normal door opening and closing operation is possible in a vacuum environment.

Therefore, through this process, it is possible to replace the door 20 without breaking the vacuum pressure in the housing vacuum region B.

In addition, although not shown, in the door replacement area (A), various connection lines, such as an inert gas supply line for supplying inert gas from an inert gas supply source, and a clean air supply line for supplying clean air from a clean air supply source, may be installed. have.

Accordingly, the door replacement region A may be selectively connected to the inside or outside to form a vacuum, or an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or clean air may be supplied. In addition, various pressure gauges, thermometers, and temperature control devices such as heaters or cooling devices may be additionally installed.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged perspective view showing the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 21, the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a rail member R installed in the second direction moving device 50. Accordingly, it may be a slide-replaceable door 21 that can be sliding and detachable.

Therefore, when the door replacement area (A) is isolated by the isolation member 60, only the door replacement area (A) communicates with the outside air so that the old slide-replaceable door 21 is removed from the rail member (R). It can be replaced by sliding and separating the first sealing member S1 and slidingly and inserting the slide-replaceable door 21 in which the new first sealing member S1 is installed.

For the inflow and outflow of the door 20, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 21, at least a side surface 10c of the valve housing 10 and the protruding wall portion W corresponding to the door replacement area A. ), a door replacement opening (H) may be formed, and a cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the door 20 may flow in and out of various directions.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening H of the door replacement type gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17, and FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening H of FIG. 17 It is a perspective view, and FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the door replacement opening H of FIG. 17.

That is, as shown in FIG. 22, a door replacement opening (H) is formed in the lower surface (10d) of the valve housing (10) or the protruding wall (W) corresponding to the door replacement area (A), A cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H).

In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 23, a door replacement opening (H) is formed in the front surface (10e) of the valve housing (10) or the protruding wall (W) corresponding to the door replacement area (A). And, a cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H).

In addition, for example, as shown in Figure 24, the door replacement opening (H) is formed in the lower surface (10d) and the front surface (10e) of the valve housing 10 corresponding to the door replacement area (A), A cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H). In addition, the lower surface (10d) and one side (10c) or the lower surface (10d), the side (10c) and the front (10e) all form various openings (H) to facilitate the replacement of the door (20). have.

On the other hand, for example, as shown in Fig. 24, the door 20 is detachably attached to the second direction moving device 50 by using a fastener F or a jig such as a bolt, nut, or screw. It may be a fastening replaceable door 22 to be installed. In addition to this, for example, all kinds of fastening-type doors, such as using an interlocking groove, an interlocking protrusion, a snap button, or a magnet, can be applied.

In addition, the cover (C) may also be applied to various types of covers, such as a lid, a foldable door, a cap, or a shell, which is detachably fixed by a fastener by installing various O-rings.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 24, the door 20 may be an L motion door capable of blocking a single passage 10a formed in the valve housing 10. However, it is not necessarily limited thereto.

25 is a diagram illustrating a normal operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 25, when explaining the normal operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, during the first time t1, the door 20 is You can wait in the open stage for loading or unloading.

Then, during a second time (t2), the door 20 may be raised from the standby position to the first position (Close stage), and then, the second position in the first position for a third time (t3). By advancing to the position, the passage 10a may be sealed.

Subsequently, for a fourth time (t4), after finishing the processing of the moving object, for a fifth time (t5), the door 20 moves back from the second position to the first position to open the passage 10a. It may be unsealed and may descend from the first position to the standby position for a sixth time t5.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 26, when a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system 1100 according to some embodiments of the present invention is described, the door 20, that is, the sealing plate, in the process of FIG. 25 When replacement of the door is required, during the 0th replacement time (te0), the door 20 descends from the standby position (Open stage) to a third position (Exchange stage) to isolate the door replacement area (A), During the first replacement time te1, the door replacement area A is switched to the standby state (ATM), and during the second replacement time te2, the door replacement operation may be performed.

Subsequently, during the third replacement time (te3), isolation of the door replacement area (A) is released to switch the door replacement area (A) back to a vacuum state, and during a fourth replacement time (te4), the door ( 20) may rise from the third position to the standby position and wait.

Here, these replacement times are made during the first time t1 of FIG. 25, so that the door replacement work can be quickly performed without stopping the equipment or breaking the overall vacuum state.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 17.

As shown in FIG. 27, the door replacement operation of the present invention can be performed by a judgment of an operator or a control unit such as "Is it necessary to exchange a seal plate?", for example, checking the usage time of the door, or The state of the door can be checked through various sensors such as a load sensor or vision that checks the sealing state inside the chamber or measures the state of the sealing member.

28 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a door-replaceable gate valve system 1200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 28, the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention includes a first passage 10a formed on one side of the valve housing 10. T-motion door 23 including a first door 20-1 capable of blocking the valve and a second door 20-2 capable of blocking the second passage 10b formed on the other side of the valve housing 10 Can be Accordingly, the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to all the doors of gate valves of various types, such as L motion as well as T motion.

Therefore, according to the various embodiments of the present invention described above, the entire door including the O-ring can be replaced, thereby greatly reducing the replacement cost and time, and reducing the volume of the equipment to reduce the unit cost of the equipment and the time for forming vacuum pressure and Cost can be reduced, for example, by simply lowering the moving table, the door can be replaced without breaking the overall vacuum of the valve housing, thereby simplifying the operation and operation of the equipment, thereby improving the durability and performance of the equipment.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for identifying genuine products of the door-replaceable gate valve system of FIG. 17.

17 to 29, the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of the present invention according to the present invention is an identification capable of identifying the identification information of the door so that operation is allowed only when matching identification information As a device that may further include, more specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the identification device may recognize an RFID tag (RT) installed on the door 20. The valve housing 10 or the RFID tag (RT) and the RFID sensor (RS) installed in the corresponding portion and the identification information received from the RFID sensor (RS), the normal operation of the equipment only when the identification information is matched. If allowed, otherwise, it may be the RFID identification control unit 80 to stop the operation of the device.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 29, when the sealing plate SP of the door 20 is replaced, when the RFID sensor RS of the identification device recognizes the RFID tag RT and detects the identification information ( S11), the RFID identification control unit 80 determines whether there is a match (S12), and if it is matched, allows normal operation or permits the replacement of the door 20 (S13), and if the match does not match, operation It is possible to make an impossible command or a determination that the door 20 cannot be replaced.

Therefore, it is possible to replace only the genuine door 20 that has been officially given identification information, thereby increasing the safety of the equipment, and preventing malfunction or illegal use in advance.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process for identifying genuine products of the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1100 of FIG. 29.

As shown in FIGS. 17 to 30, more specifically, for example, when starting the exchange processor, the door replacement area A is sealed, and the door replacement area A is switched to a standby state in a vacuum. , When the door is exchanged by opening the cover (C), when the RFID tag (RT) is recognized as a genuine product by the RFID sensor (RS), the cover (C) of the door replacement area (A) is After closing, the door replacement area (A) is converted to a vacuum to complete the normal replacement process, or when it is not identified as a genuine product, a non-genuine error message is output visually or audibly, and the door replacement area (A) Abnormal operation can be terminated under atmospheric pressure. However, it is not necessarily limited thereto.

FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view showing a door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1300 according to some other embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1300 of FIG. FIG. 33 is an enlarged perspective view showing the door 20 of the door replacement gate valve system 1300 of FIG. 31 on an enlarged scale, and FIG. 34 is a door of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 20) is a cross-sectional view.

31 to 34, the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1300 according to some other embodiments of the present invention includes a tactile rod of the door support DS on at least one side ( At least one insertion hole ARH coupled with AR) may be formed, and an O-ring S3 may be installed at an inlet of the insertion hole ARH to prevent scattering of particles when combined.

Here, the tactile rod AR shown in FIGS. 31 to 34 protrudes from the door support DS to the left in the horizontal direction, and thus, it is illustrated that the door 20 can be disassembled in the horizontal direction. .

FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1400 according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 35, the tactile rod AR of the door-replaceable gate valve system 1400 according to some other embodiments of the present invention protrudes downward in a vertical direction from the door support DS. , Therefore, it is illustrated that the door 20 can be disassembled in a vertical direction.

However, the disassembly method of the door 20 is very diverse and is not limited to the drawings.

Hereinafter, a door-replaceable gate valve system 2100, 2200, 2300, and 2400 according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

36 is an exterior perspective view of a door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 37 is an exploded perspective view of parts showing the door replacement gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36, and FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view showing the door replacement gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36.

First, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 according to some embodiments of the present invention is largely a valve housing 10, a door 20, and a movable table ( 30), a first direction moving device 40, a second direction moving device 50, and an isolation member 60 may be included.

For example, the valve housing 10 is an overall hollow box-shaped structure, and at least one passage 10a may be formed.

Here, the valve housing 10 has the passages 10a on one or both sides so that various objects such as high-tech semiconductor devices such as semiconductor chips, wafers, LCD panels, OLED panels, display devices, and other medical devices can enter and exit. It may be a structure to be formed.

The valve housing 10 includes the door 20, the movable table 30, the first direction moving device 40, the second direction moving device 50, and the isolation member. It may support 60, and may be a structure having sufficient strength and durability to be connected to various chambers. However, the valve housing 10 is not limited to the drawings, as conceptually illustrated in the drawings, and a wide variety of types and types of passages or valve housings may be applied.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, the door 20 is a type of valve body in which a first sealing member S1 is installed to block the passage 10a, and the door 20 ) May be formed according to the detective of the passage 10a so as to correspond to the shape of the passage 10a. Here, the first sealing member S1 may be a sealing member such as an O-ring or a gasket for airtightness.

Such, the door 20 is shown to obtain understanding, and is not limited to the drawings, and may be installed in various numbers, various sealing members, various joints, hinge structures, etc. may be additionally installed.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, the movable table 30 is a structure similar to a type of head block supporting the door 20 so that it can be detachably moved, and the first direction moves to be described later. It can be installed to be movable by means of the device 40. However, of course, the movable table 30 is not limited to the drawings.

In addition, for example, as shown in Figs. 36 to 38, the first directional movement device 40, the valve housing 10, the movable table 30 in a standby position facing the passage (10a) Various types of actuators such as cylinders, motors, power transmission devices, gearboxes, etc. that can move in the first direction to the first position to be used can be applied.

In addition, for example, as shown in Figs. 36 to 38, the second direction moving device 50 is installed between the movable table 30 and the door 20, the door 20 Various types of actuators such as cylinders, motors, power transmission devices, gear boxes, etc. that can move in the second direction from the first position to a second position that can block the passage 10a can be applied.

Here, in FIGS. 36 to 38, it is illustrated that the first direction moving device 40 is a lifting cylinder, and the second direction moving device 50 is a sealing cylinder, but various shapes and types in various directions are All mobile devices can be applied.

Accordingly, the door 20 may be raised or lowered from the standby position to the first position by the first direction moving device 40 inside the valve housing 10, and then, the door 20 may move in the second direction. By means of the device 50, the passage 10a can be selectively opened and closed by being moved back and forth from the first position to the second position.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, the isolation member 60 is installed on the second direction moving device 50 or the movable table 30, and the first direction moving device It is first moved from the standby position to a third position using (40), and is moved secondarily in the second direction from the third position to a fourth position using the second direction moving device (50), and the It may be an entirely flat plate structure capable of isolating the door replacement area A of the valve housing 10.

More specifically, for example, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 38, the isolation member 60 is formed to correspond to the side surface of the protruding wall portion horizontally protruding in a ring shape inside the valve housing 10. It may include an isolation plate (61).

That is, the isolating member 60 is a first downward movement and a second forward movement, and the side of the isolating member 60 is in close contact with the side of the protruding wall portion W, thereby forming the door replacement area (A). Can be isolated.

At this time, a second sealing member (in the contact surface of the protruding wall portion W) or the isolation plate 61 so as to release the vacuum only in the door replacement area (A) while maintaining the overall vacuum of the valve housing 10 ( S2) can be installed. Here, the second sealing member S2 may be a sealing member such as an O-ring or a gasket for airtightness.

More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 38, the door replacement area A has an internal vacuum line 71 that is installed with a first valve V1 and is connected to the housing vacuum area B, and The second valve V2 may be installed, and a vacuum release line 72 connected to an external air or clean air supply source may be connected.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 38, after the isolation member 60 isolates the door replacement area A, the second valve V2 receives a vacuum pressure release control signal by the control unit 70. When the vacuum release line 72 is opened, the vacuum pressure in the door replacement area A is released, and the cover C, which will be described later, is opened, and the door 20 is opened through the door replacement opening H. Can be replaced.

In this case, the door replacement region A is in an isolated state, and the housing vacuum region B may maintain a vacuum state.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 38, after the door 20 is replaced, the first valve V2, which covers the cover C, and receives a vacuum pressure formation control signal by the control unit 70, is When the vacuum release line 72 is closed, while the first valve V1 opens the internal vacuum line 71, the door replacement area A communicates with the housing vacuum area B. As a result, a vacuum pressure of the same pressure can be formed, and through this, a normal door opening and closing operation is possible under a vacuum environment.

Therefore, through this process, it is possible to replace the door 20 without breaking the vacuum pressure in the housing vacuum region B.

39 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36.

According to another embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 39, the door replacement area A has an external vacuum line 73 that is installed with a third valve V3 and connected to an external pump PUMP. ) And the fourth valve V4 are installed, and a vacuum release line 74 connected to an external air or clean air supply source may be connected.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 39, after the isolation member 60 isolates the door replacement area A, the fourth valve V2 receives a vacuum pressure release control signal by the controller 70. When the vacuum release line 74 is opened, the vacuum pressure in the door replacement area A is released, and the cover C, which will be described later, is opened, and the door 20 is opened through the door replacement opening H. Can be replaced.

In this case, the door replacement region A is in an isolated state, and the housing vacuum region B may maintain a vacuum state.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 39, after the door 20 is replaced, the fourth valve V4, which covers the cover C, and receives a vacuum pressure formation control signal by the control unit 70, is When the vacuum release line 74 is closed, on the other hand, when the third valve V3 opens the external vacuum line 71, the door replacement area A is subjected to a vacuum pressure by the pump PUMP. This can be formed, and through this, normal door opening and closing operation is possible in a vacuum environment.

Therefore, through this process, it is possible to replace the door 20 without breaking the vacuum pressure in the housing vacuum region B.

In addition, although not shown, in the door replacement area (A), various connection lines, such as an inert gas supply line for supplying inert gas from an inert gas supply source, and a clean air supply line for supplying clean air from a clean air supply source, may be installed. have.

Accordingly, the door replacement region A may be selectively connected to the inside or outside to form a vacuum, or an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or clean air may be supplied. In addition, various pressure gauges, thermometers, and temperature control devices such as heaters or cooling devices may be additionally installed.

40 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36.

As shown in FIG. 40, the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a rail member R installed in the second direction moving device 50. Accordingly, it may be a slide-replaceable door 21 that can be sliding and detachable.

Therefore, when the door replacement area (A) is isolated by the isolation member 60, only the door replacement area (A) communicates with the outside air so that the old slide-replaceable door 21 is removed from the rail member (R). It can be replaced by sliding and separating the first sealing member S1 and slidingly and inserting the slide-replaceable door 21 in which the new first sealing member S1 is installed.

For the inflow and outflow of the door 20, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 40, at least side surfaces 10c of the valve housing 10 and the protruding wall portion W corresponding to the door replacement area A. ), a door replacement opening (H) may be formed, and a cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the door 20 may flow in and out of various directions.

41 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening H of the door replacement type gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36, and FIG. 42 is a perspective view showing another example of the door replacement opening H of FIG. 36 It is a perspective view, and FIG. 43 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the door replacement opening H of FIG. 36.

That is, as shown in Figure 41, the valve housing 10 corresponding to the door replacement area (A) or the lower surface (10d) of the protruding wall portion (W) has a door replacement opening (H) is formed, A cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H).

In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 42, a door replacement opening (H) is formed in the front surface (10e) of the valve housing (10) or the protruding wall (W) corresponding to the door replacement area (A). And, a cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H).

In addition, for example, as shown in Figure 43, the door replacement opening (H) is formed in the lower surface (10d) and the front surface (10e) of the valve housing 10 corresponding to the door replacement area (A), A cover (C) may be installed in the door replacement opening (H). In addition, the lower surface (10d) and one side (10c) or the lower surface (10d), the side (10c) and the front (10e) all form various openings (H) to facilitate the replacement of the door (20). have.

On the other hand, for example, as shown in Figure 43, the door 20 is detachably installed in the second direction moving device 50 using a fixture (F) or a jig such as a bolt, nut or screw. It may be a fastening replaceable door 22. In addition to this, for example, all kinds of fastening-type doors, such as using an interlocking groove, an interlocking protrusion, a snap button, or a magnet, can be applied.

In addition, the cover (C) may also be applied to various types of covers, such as a lid, a foldable door, a cap, or a shell, which is detachably fixed by a fastener by installing various O-rings.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIGS. 36 to 43, the door 20 may be an L motion door capable of blocking a single passage 10a formed in the valve housing 10. However, it is not necessarily limited thereto.

44 is a diagram illustrating a normal operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36.

As shown in FIG. 44, when explaining the normal operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, during a first time t1, the door 20 is You can wait in the open stage for loading or unloading.

Then, during a second time (t2), the door 20 may be raised from the standby position to the first position (Close stage), and then, the second position in the first position for a third time (t3). By advancing to the position, the passage 10a may be sealed.

Subsequently, for a fourth time (t4), after finishing the processing of the moving object, for a fifth time (t5), the door 20 moves back from the second position to the first position to open the passage 10a. It may be unsealed and may descend from the first position to the standby position for a sixth time t5.

FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 45, when a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system 2100 according to some embodiments of the present invention is described, the door 20, that is, the sealing plate, in the process of FIG. 44 When the replacement of is required, during the 0th replacement time (te0), the door 20 first descends from the standby position (Open stage) to the third position (Exchange stage), and during the first replacement time (te1) , The door 20 may be advanced secondarily from the third position to the fourth position to isolate the door replacement area A.

Subsequently, during the second replacement time te2, the door replacement area A is switched to the standby state (ATM), and the door replacement operation may be performed.

Subsequently, during the third replacement time (te3), in order to convert the door replacement area (A) into a vacuum state, and to release isolation of the door replacement area (A), the door 20 is positioned at the fourth position. It can be reversed to the third position.

Subsequently, during the sixth replacement time te4, the door 20 may rise from the third position to the standby position and wait.

Here, these replacement times are performed during the first time t1 of FIG. 44, so that the door replacement work can be quickly performed without stopping the equipment or breaking the overall vacuum state.

FIG. 46 is a flow chart illustrating an operation process of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2100 of FIG. 36.

As shown in FIG. 46, the door replacement operation of the present invention can be performed by a judgment of an operator or a control unit such as "Is it necessary to exchange a seal plate?", for example, checking the usage time of the door, or The state of the door can be checked through various sensors such as a load sensor or vision that checks the sealing state inside the chamber or measures the state of the sealing member.

47 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a door-replaceable gate valve system 2200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 47, the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention includes a first passage 10a formed on one side of the valve housing 10. T-motion door 23 including a first door 20-1 capable of blocking the valve and a second door 20-2 capable of blocking the second passage 10b formed on the other side of the valve housing 10 Can be Accordingly, the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to all the doors of gate valves of various types, such as L motion as well as T motion.

Therefore, according to the various embodiments of the present invention described above, the entire door including the O-ring can be replaced, thereby greatly reducing the replacement cost and time, and reducing the volume of the equipment to reduce the unit cost of the equipment and the time for forming vacuum pressure and Cost can be reduced, for example, by simply lowering the moving table, the door can be replaced without breaking the overall vacuum of the valve housing, thereby simplifying the operation and operation of the equipment, thereby improving the durability and performance of the equipment.

48 is an exploded perspective view of a part showing the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2300 according to some other embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 49 is an exploded view of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2300 of FIG. 48 FIG. 50 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged door 20 of the door replacement gate valve system 2300 of FIG. 48, and FIG. 51 is a door of the door replacement gate valve system of FIG. 48 20) is a cross-sectional view.

48 to 51, the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2300 according to some other embodiments of the present invention includes a tactile rod of the door support DS on at least one side ( At least one insertion hole ARH coupled with AR) may be formed, and an O-ring S3 may be installed at an inlet of the insertion hole ARH to prevent scattering of particles when combined.

Here, the tactile rod AR shown in FIGS. 48 to 51 protrudes from the door support DS to the left in the horizontal direction, and thus, it is illustrated that the door 20 can be disassembled in the horizontal direction. .

52 is an exploded perspective view of a part showing the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2400 according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 52, the tactile rod AR of the door-replaceable gate valve system 2400 according to some other embodiments of the present invention protrudes vertically downward from the door support DS. , Therefore, it is illustrated that the door 20 can be disassembled in a vertical direction.

However, the disassembly method of the door 20 is very diverse and is not limited to the drawings.

FIG. 53 is an external perspective view showing the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 54 is a cross-sectional view of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53, and FIG. 55 is 53 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100, FIG. 56 is a perspective view showing the valve housing 10 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53, and FIG. Part exploded perspective view showing the valve housing 10 of the replaceable gate valve system 3100.

53 to 57, the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a valve housing 10 in which at least one passage 10a is formed, and the passage The door 20 on which the first sealing member S1 is installed to block (10a), the movable table 30 for detachably supporting the door 20, and the valve housing 10 A first direction moving device 40 capable of moving the movable table 30 in a first direction from a standby position to a first position opposite to the passage 10a, and the movable table 30 and the door 20 ), the second direction moving device 50 and the second capable of moving the door 20 in a second direction from the first position to a second position capable of blocking the passage 10a It is installed on the direction moving device 50 or the movable table 30, and is first moved from the standby position to the third position using the first direction moving device 40, and the second direction moving device is used. Thus, it may include an isolation member 60 that is secondarily moved in the second direction from the third position to the fourth position to isolate the door replacement area A of the valve housing 10.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 53 to 57, a door replacement opening (H) is formed on the side of the valve housing 10 corresponding to the door replacement area (A), and the door replacement opening (H ) On the removable cover (C) can be installed.

Here, the detachable cover (C) can be detachably fixed to the side of the valve housing 10 by a set screw, the detachable cover (C) is formed with a valve (V5) for forming atmospheric pressure on one side The vacuum tube VP for forming a vacuum pressure of FIG. 72 may be installed on the other side.

Therefore, when replacing the door, the detachable cover C can be completely separated from the valve housing 10 by loosening the fixing screw. Of course, before removing the removable cover (C), the atmospheric pressure forming valve (V5) must be opened to form atmospheric pressure in the door replacement area (A), and the removable cover (C) should be reassembled after the door replacement. Then, a vacuum pressure may be formed in the door replacement area A using the vacuum tube VP for forming vacuum pressure.

FIG. 58 is a perspective view showing the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53, and FIG. 59 is a diagram illustrating a fastening state of the door 20 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53 It is a cross-sectional perspective view.

58 and 59, the door 20 is a slide-removable door that can be slidably attached or detached along a rail member installed on the second direction moving device 50 or the isolation member 60 ( 21).

More specifically, for example, the door 20 has at least one (two in the drawing) ribs RB formed at the rear middle portion to prevent bending due to back pressure, and L-shaped at the upper and lower ends of the rear surface. The guide portion G bent in a shape may be formed.

Accordingly, the two rib portions RB and the two guide portions G can increase the strength of the door 20, and the guide portion G is the rail corresponding to the guide portion G. While sliding along the member, it may be firmly detachably coupled to the isolation member 60.

60 is a perspective view showing the anti-friction member 62 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53, FIG. 61 is a perspective view showing the anti-friction member 62 of FIG. 60, and FIG. It is a perspective view showing the isolation plate 61 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100.

As shown in FIGS. 53 to 62, the isolation member 60 includes an isolation plate 61 formed to correspond to a side surface of the protruding wall portion horizontally protruding in a ring shape inside the valve housing 10. As a result, a second sealing member S2 may be installed on the contact surface of the protruding wall portion so as to release the vacuum only in the door replacement area A while maintaining the overall vacuum of the valve housing 10.

As shown in FIGS. 60 to 62, a friction preventing member 62 made of a resin material may be installed between the isolation plate 61 of the isolation member 60 and the door 20.

The anti-friction member 62 is made of an engineering plastic material such as PEEK (polyetheretherketone) or Teflon having excellent shock buffering and abrasion resistance so as to minimize the friction between the isolation plate 61 and the door 20. I can.

In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 62, the isolation plate 61 may have a hard anodizing coating layer formed on its surface so as to increase hardness and prevent generation of foreign matter.

63 is a side view showing an open state of the opening H of the door interchangeable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53, and FIG. 64 is a guide pin member 80 of the door interchangeable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53 It is a side view showing an open state, and FIG. 65 is a side view showing a closed state of the guide pin member 80 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53.

63 to 65, the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes the door 20 on the isolation plate 61 when rotating at a first angle. Is pressurized and fixed to the isolation plate 61 or the door 20 so that the door 20 can slide freely from the isolation plate 61 when the axis is rotated at a second angle. It may further include a guide pin member 80 that is installed so as to have an eccentric shape by forming a notch portion N in at least a portion thereof.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 63, after removing the removable cover (C), inserting a driver into the driver groove (DH) of the guide pin member 80 through the exposed opening (H), the guide pin As shown in FIG. 64, the notch portion N of the guide pin member 80 faces the door 20 when the member 80 can be axially rotated. The door 20 can be freely slidable from the isolation plate 61, and, as shown in FIG. 65, when the door 20 is rotated at a first angle, a round portion other than the notch portion is the isolation plate 61 The door 20 may be pressurized and fixed.

Therefore, by selectively fixing the door 20 to the isolation plate 61, it is possible to prevent the door 20 from being displaced or a sliding malfunction in advance.

FIG. 66 is a perspective view illustrating a pin type jig Z1 of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 of FIG. 53.

66, in the door-replaceable gate valve system 3100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, after the removable cover C is removed, the user holds the door 20 with a hand. A pin-type jig Z1 comprising a handle Z1a and a binding pin Z1b protruding from the handle Z1a may be further included to be pulled out.

Accordingly, the user can easily pull out the door 20 to the outside by using the pin type jig Z1. The pin-type jig Z1 needs to be careful not to collide the door 20 with the valve housing 10 when the door 20 is withdrawn from the outside.

67 is a perspective view showing a use state of a fastening jig Z2 and a chamber jig Z3 of a single-type jig SZ of a door-replaceable gate valve system 3200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention. , FIG. 68 is a perspective view showing a state of use of a multi-type jig (DZ) of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3300 according to some other embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 69 is a door-replaceable gate valve of FIG. 67 It is an enlarged perspective view showing the chamber type jig Z3 of the system 3200.

67 and 69, the door-replaceable gate valve system 3200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention removes the removable cover C, and then the location of the removable cover C. It may be temporarily fixed to the fastening jig (Z2) having a sliding fastening portion (Z2a) formed on one side and the sliding fastening portion (Z2a) of the fastening jig (Z2), and slidingly fastened with the door ( 20) a movable part (K) that can be combined with is installed, a push bar (PB) connected to the movable part (K) is installed to the outside, and the door 20 drawn out to the outside by the push bar (PB) ) May further include a chamber-type jig (Z3) that can be completely surrounded and protected.

Therefore, when the door is replaced, the removable cover (C) is removed, and then the fastening jig (Z2) is temporarily fixed to the position of the removable cover (C), and the sliding fastening portion of the fastening jig (Z2) ( Z2a) and the chamber type jig Z3 are slidably fastened, and then the door 20 can be safely pulled out without exposing the door 20 using the push bar PB.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 67 and 69, the chamber-type jig (Z3) includes at least a pull-out single jig (SZ), an input-type single jig, the pull-out single jig (SZ), and the input-type single jig. Any one or more of the dual jig (DZ), which is a combined form, can be applied, and a wide variety of shapes and types of jigs can be applied.

FIG. 70 is a perspective view illustrating the door detection sensor S of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3300 of FIG. 68, and FIG. 71 is an enlarged view illustrating the door detection sensor S of FIG. 70.

As shown in FIG. 70, when the door-replaceable gate valve system 3300 according to some other embodiments of the present invention blocks the passage 10a of the door 20, the position of the door 20 is It may further include a door detection sensor (S) to detect.

Accordingly, when the door 20 malfunctions due to reverse pressure or door replacement, by detecting a normal position or an abnormal position of the door 20, it is possible to detect this and enable follow-up measures.

72 are step diagrams illustrating a door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system 3300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

53 to 72, when explaining the door replacement process of the door replacement gate valve system 3300 according to some embodiments of the present invention, first, as in No. 1, the valve housing 10 In the state that the removable cover (C) is fastened to, as in No. 2, the door of the valve housing 10 is replaced by opening the atmospheric pressure forming valve (V5) of the removable cover (C) installed in the valve housing 10 The detachable cover C may be removed so as to form atmospheric pressure in the region A and open the opening H of the valve housing 10 as shown in No. 3.

Subsequently, as in No. 4, the fastening jig Z2 may be temporarily fastened to the position of the removed removable cover C. In this case, the standard of the fixing screw of the removable cover (C) and the standard of the fixing screw of the fastening jig (Z2) may be the same.

Then, as in No. 5, the chamber-type jig Z3 is slidably fastened to the sliding fastening portion Z2a of the fastening jig Z2, and as in No. 6, the push bar PB of the chamber-type jig Z3 ) By pulling the push bar PB, the old door 20 into the chamber type jig Z3 can be pulled out of the valve housing 10 as in No. 7.

Subsequently, although not shown, the chamber-type jig (Z3) accommodating the old door 20 is separated from the fastening jig (Z2), and another chamber-type jig (Z3) accommodating the new door 20 is fastened. After sliding and fastening to the type jig (Z2), as in No. 6 in the reverse order, a new door 20 is inserted into the inside of the valve housing 10 using the push bar (PB) of the chamber type jig (Z3). After removing the chamber-type jig (Z3) and the fastening jig (Z2) from the valve housing 10 as in No. 5 and No. 4, as in No. 3, the valve housing 10 By fixing the removable cover (C) again, a vacuum pressure can be formed in the door replacement area (A) of the valve housing 10 using a vacuum tube (VP) for forming vacuum pressure installed in the removable cover (C). .

73 is a flowchart illustrating a door replacement method of the door replacement gate valve system 3300 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

72 and 73, the door replacement method of the door-replaceable gate valve system 3300 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes the formation of atmospheric pressure of the removable cover C installed in the valve housing 10. Opening the valve (V5) for forming atmospheric pressure in the door replacement area (A) of the valve housing 10 (S110), and the removable cover to open the opening (H) of the valve housing 10 (C) a step of separating (S111), a step of temporarily fastening a fastening jig (Z2) to the position of the removed removable cover (C) (S112), and a sliding fastening part of the fastening jig (Z2) Step (S113) of sliding the chamber type jig (Z3) to (Z2a), and the old door 20 into the chamber type jig (Z3) by using the push bar (PB) of the chamber type jig (Z3) (S114) of withdrawing the valve to the outside of the valve housing 10 (S114), and separating the chamber-type jig (Z3) accommodating the old door 20 from the fastening jig (Z2) (S115), Sliding (S116) another chamber-type jig (Z3) accommodating the new door 20 to the fastening jig (Z2) (S116), and the valve using a push bar (PB) of the chamber-type jig (Z3). Injecting a new door 20 into the housing 10 (S117), and removing all of the chamber-type jig Z3 and the fastening jig Z2 from the valve housing 10 (S118). ), and the step of fixing the removable cover (C) to the valve housing (10) again (S119) and the valve housing (10) by using a vacuum tube (VP) for forming vacuum pressure installed on the removable cover (C). It may include the step (S120) of forming a vacuum pressure in the door replacement area (A).

Therefore, by easily replacing the old door of the gate valve with a new door without breaking the overall vacuum pressure of the process chamber or the transfer chamber, the downtime of the equipment can be greatly reduced from several days to several hours, thereby greatly improving productivity.

Hereinafter, gate valve systems 4100 and 4200 according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

74 is an external perspective view illustrating a gate valve system 4100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 75 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 74.

First, as shown in FIGS. 74 and 75, the gate valve system 4100 according to some embodiments of the present invention is largely a valve housing 10, a valve body 20, and a moving device 30. Wow, it may include a cover 40 and a heat exchange device 50.

For example, the valve housing 10 is an overall hollow box-shaped structure, and more specifically, for example, one side is connected to a process module (PM) capable of performing various semiconductor or display processes, that is, a process chamber. , At least one passage 10a may be formed so that the other side may be connected to the transfer module TM in which a transfer or a transfer robot is installed.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 75, the valve housing 10 is installed between the process module PM and the transfer module TM, and is a high-tech semiconductor chip, wafer, LCD panel, OLED panel, etc. The passages 10a may be formed on one or both sides to allow various objects such as semiconductor devices, display devices, and other medical devices to enter and exit.

However, the valve housing 10 is not necessarily limited to being installed between the process module PM and the transfer module TM, for example, between various modules and chambers such as a loading chamber, an unloading chamber or a buffer chamber. Can be installed on.

In addition, for example, the valve housing 10 may support the valve body 20, the moving device 30, the cover 40, and the heat exchange device 50 described above, and various chambers It may be a structure having sufficient strength and durability to be connected to the field. However, the valve housing 10 is not limited to the drawings, as conceptually illustrated in the drawings, and a wide variety of types and types of passages or valve housings may be applied.

Further, for example, the valve housing 10 may be divided into a vacuum area A, which occupies most of the internal space, including the passage 10a, and a replacement area B for replacing the sealing member.

Here, the vacuum region (A) may be divided into a relatively large volume in consideration of the moving space of the valve body 20, and the replacement region (B) is converted from vacuum pressure to atmospheric pressure or from atmospheric pressure to vacuum pressure. When converted into, it can be relatively narrowly partitioned with a minimum volume to reduce the pressure conversion time.

The location, shape, or volume of the vacuum area A and the replacement area B are formed in various shapes and shapes according to the standard or process environment of the process module PM or transfer module TM applied. Can be.

Meanwhile, for example, as shown in FIGS. 74 and 75, the valve body 20 is provided with a first sealing member S1 to block the passage 10a, and the passage 10a and It may include a door 21 formed in a shape corresponding to the opening Ba and having a detachable groove G formed therein so that the first sealing member S1 can be detachably inserted.

Here, the first sealing member S1 may include various sealing members such as an O-ring or a gasket formed in a ring shape for airtightness. However, the first sealing member S1 is not necessarily limited thereto, and a wide variety of sealing members may be applied.

In addition, here, in order to minimize the thermal contact area with the high-temperature process module PM, the door 21 has a sealing member installation surface on which the first sealing member S1 is installed and the second sealing member to be described later. It is preferable that the contact surface that can be in contact with the member S2 forms a step. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the door 21 may be formed in a wide variety of shapes, such as a flat shape in which the sealing member installation surface and the contact surface are formed.

In addition, the door 21 is not limited to the drawings, and can be applied in a wide variety, such as installed in various numbers or additionally installed with various sealing members, various joints or hinge structures.

Therefore, when the valve body 20 is located in the replacement area (B), after opening the cover 40, the old first sealing member from the detachable groove (G) of the door (21) (S1) can be separated.

On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 74 and 75, the moving device 30 is a device capable of moving the valve body 20 in the direction of the passage 10a, the moving device 30, A first direction moving device 31 capable of moving the movable table M connected to the valve body 20 in a first direction (up-down direction) from a standby position to a first position opposite to the passage 10a And it is installed between the movable table (M) and the valve body 20, the valve body 20 from the first position to a second position to block the passage (10a) in a second direction It may include a second direction moving device 32 that can be moved to ). Here, the moving devices 30 may be applied to all types of actuators such as cylinders, motors, power transmission devices, and gear boxes.

More specifically, for example, the first direction moving device 31 may be a lifting cylinder, and the second direction moving device 32 is illustrated that it is a sealing cylinder, but has various shapes and types in various directions. All mobile devices can be applied.

Accordingly, the door 21 can be raised and lowered from the standby position to the first position by the first direction moving device 31 inside the valve housing 10, and then, the door 21 moves in the second direction. By means of the device 32, it is possible to selectively open and close the passage 10a by moving back and forth from the first position to the second position.

FIG. 83 is a perspective view showing an example of the pivoting lid 41 of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 74.

74, 75 and 83, the cover 40, while maintaining the vacuum state of the vacuum area (A) of the valve housing 10, the first sealing member (S1) to be replaced. It may be installed in the opening (Ba) of the replacement area (B) of the valve housing 10 so as to be able to.

More specifically, for example, the cover 40 may be a rotatable cover 41 that rotates with respect to the hinge axis H of the valve housing 10. Here, although not shown, the rotatable cover 41 may be held or released in a fixed state to the valve housing 10 by various fasteners such as various hooks, screws, bolts, and nuts.

Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 74, 75, and 83, the rotatable cover 41 covers and seals the opening Ba of the valve housing 10, or the first sealing member ( The opening (Ba) may be opened by rotating based on the hinge axis (H) so that S1) may be exposed to the outside and replaced.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 74 and 75, the heat exchange device 50 is installed on the cover 40 to heat or cool the valve body 20 or the first sealing member S1 As to be, more specifically, for example, it can be formed in various forms, such as a planar heating element having a heating layer or a heating wire coil made of a heating wire, according to the heating principle resistance heating type, electric heating type, light heating type, induction heating type, self heating type Any heat exchange device using various principles, such as, can be applied.

Such, the heat exchange device 50, as shown in Figs. 74 and 75, is installed on the valve body facing surface of the cover 40, that is, inside the cover 40 is located in the vicinity of the closed state. It may be a heater or a cooling device that is formed in a shape corresponding to the valve body 20 so as to heat the valve body 20 and can be controlled by the temperature control unit 90.

Accordingly, the temperature control unit 90 preheats the low temperature valve body 20 so that it can be applied to the high temperature process module PM, or replaces the high temperature valve body 20 at a temperature where replacement is easy. Can be cooled.

Therefore, by installing the heat exchange device 50 on the inner surface of the cover 40 that may face the valve body 20, the valve body 20 and the replaced new first sealing member (S1) Since it can be quickly heated or cooled within minutes to several hours, it is possible to significantly reduce the preparation time and cost of the equipment compared to conventional equipment that had to wait for several hours to several days.

On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 74 and 75, the gate valve system 4100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, so that the replacement area (B) is sealed by the valve body 20. A second sealing member S2 may be installed inside the opening Ba of the replacement area B of the valve housing 10.

Therefore, it is possible to minimize thermal stress and thermal damage by installing the second sealing member (S1) in the opening (Ba) of the replacement area (B) away from the high temperature process module (PM), This can greatly increase the durability and replacement cycle of parts.

On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 74 and 75, the inside of the cover 40 or the opening (Ba) to seal the opening (Ba) of the replacement area (B) of the valve housing 10 A third sealing member S3 may be installed on the outside.

Accordingly, one side and the other side of the replacement area B may be separately sealed by using the second sealing member S2 and the third sealing member S3.

Here, in the replacement area B, an internal vacuum line 71 and a vacuum pressure release line 72 in which a valve is installed, respectively, may be installed. Here, since the valve body 20 can be separated in place of the internal vacuum line 71, the replacement area B can be formed from a vacuum pressure state to an atmospheric pressure state only with the vacuum pressure release line 72. have.

Therefore, when the valve body 20 closes the replacement area B, the vacuum pressure release line 72 is used to open the cover 40 to separate the aged first sealing member S1 to the outside. ) Can be used to convert the replacement area (B) to atmospheric pressure, and then, when the new first sealing member (S1) is replaced, after fastening the cover 40, the internal vacuum line 71 By converting the replacement region B to vacuum pressure again, the valve body 20 opens the replacement region B to perform a passage opening and closing operation.

In addition, although not shown, in the replacement area B, various lines, valves, and additional devices such as an external vacuum line connected to a vacuum pump, an inert gas supply line connected to an inert gas supply source, and a clean air supply line may be additionally installed. .

In addition, each of these lines may be controlled by a control unit 70 that controls the valves, and this control unit 70 controls the moving devices 30 described above to perform a series of valve opening and closing operations and a sealing member replacement operation. Can be done.

On the other hand, the gate valve system 4100 according to some embodiments of the present invention can identify the identification information of the first sealing member (S1) or the sealing plate 23 so that the operation is allowed only when matching the identification information. It may further include an identification device (80).

Accordingly, by using the identification device 80, various types of identification information such as RF ID included in the first sealing member S1 or the sealing plate 23 can be checked so that only genuine products are operated normally.

FIG. 76 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a closed state of the passage of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 75, FIG. 77 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a reverse state of the valve body of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 76, and FIG. 78 A cross-sectional view showing a lowered state of the valve body of the valve system 4100, FIG. 79 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state of the replacement area of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 78, and FIG. 80 is a view of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. FIG. 81 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of opening the cover and separating the sealing member, FIG. 81 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of replacing the sealing member of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 80, and FIG. 82 is a cover fastening of the gate valve system 4100 and It is a cross-sectional view showing a heating or cooling state.

76 to 82, when explaining the operation process of the gate valve system 4100 according to some embodiments of the present invention, first, as shown in FIG. 76, the valve body 20 When moving forward from the elevated position, the passage 10a may be closed while the first sealing member S1 contacts the passage 10a.

In this case, the first sealing member S1 is exposed to a high temperature environment of the process module PM, and when used for a long time, properties may be deteriorated or damaged.

Subsequently, when the outflow and outflow of the substrate through the passage 10a is required, as shown in FIG. 77, the valve body 20 may be moved backward to open the passage 10a, and then, illustrated in FIG. 78 As described above, the valve body 20 may descend so that the substrate may flow out through the passage 10a and wait in a waiting place.

The opening and closing process of the passage 10a may be performed repeatedly at a predetermined period or until deterioration or damage of the first sealing member S1 occurs.

If a predetermined period arrives, or when deterioration or damage of the first sealing member S1 is detected by various sensors, as shown in FIG. 79, the valve body 20 moves forward in a lowered state. Thus, the replacement area B can be sealed.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 80, the vacuum area A is formed with atmospheric pressure in the replacement area B while maintaining the vacuum pressure, and the cover 40 is removed from the valve housing 10. Separately, the opening Ba may be opened.

In this case, the aged first sealing member S1 exposed to the outside through the opening Ba may be separated from the door 21.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 81, the new first sealing member S1 may be replaced in the detachable groove G of the door 21.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 82, the opening (Ba) is closed by fastening the cover (40) to the valve housing (10), forming a vacuum pressure in the replacement area (B), and at the same time, the heat exchange device Using 50, the valve body 20 or the first sealing member S1 may be heated or cooled.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 76 to 77, the process of opening and closing the passage in a fine manner may be repeatedly performed.

Therefore, it is possible to quickly heat or cool the valve body 20 and the replaced new first sealing member (S1) within minutes to several hours, so the preparation time of the equipment compared to conventional equipment that had to wait for several hours to several days. And cost can be greatly reduced.

FIG. 84 is a perspective view showing an example of a sliding cover of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 74.

As shown in FIG. 84, the cover 40 of the gate valve system 4100 of FIG. 74 may be a sliding cover 42 that slides along the rail R of the valve housing 10.

Therefore, when the rotational space of the rotational cover 41 of FIG. 83 is not sufficient due to equipment specifications or maintenance space, the sliding that can elevate and come into close contact with the opening (Ba) along the rail (G). By using the type cover 42, the equipment can be efficiently operated even in a narrow space.

FIG. 85 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state of a replacement area of the gate valve system 4200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 86 is a diagram illustrating a state of opening a cover and a sealing plate of the gate valve system 4200 of FIG. It is a sectional view shown.

As shown in FIGS. 85 and 86, the valve body 20 of the gate valve system 4200 according to some other embodiments of the present invention includes a base plate formed in a shape corresponding to the opening Ba. 22) and a sealing plate 23 detachably installed with the base plate 22, formed in a shape corresponding to the passage 10a, and fixed integrally with the first sealing member S1. I can.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 85, when the base plate 22 seals the replacement area B, as shown in FIG. 86, the cover 40 is opened from the base plate 22. The obsolete first sealing member (S1) and the sealing plate (23) can be separated, and the new first sealing member (S1) and the sealing plate (23) are inserted into the base plate (22). Can be replaced.

87 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a heat exchange device of a gate valve system according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 87, in the gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention, in order to minimize the influence of temperature on the first sealing member S1, the width ( L1) may be formed to be narrower than the width of the first sealing member S1.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 87, heat exchange with respect to the valve body 20 is performed while minimizing heat exchange with respect to the first sealing member S1, so that the first sealing member S1 can be thermally protected. .

88 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve body 20 of the gate valve system according to some still other embodiments of the present invention.

88, the valve body 25 of the gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention includes an inclined surface Bb in which a second sealing member S2 is installed in the opening Ba. Corresponding inclined surfaces may be formed.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 88, the operator can easily visually check the second sealing member S2 from the outside of the valve housing 10 through the inclined surface Bb of the opening Ba. It is possible to replace only the second sealing member S2 without having to open the entire valve housing 10.

89 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a replaceable block 11 of a gate valve system according to some still other embodiments of the present invention.

89, in the gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention, a second sealing member S2 in contact with the valve body 20 is formed on one side, and the opening Ba ) May further include a replaceable block 11 detachably installed with the valve housing 10.

Here, a fourth sealing member is installed between the valve housing 10 and the replaceable block 11 to maintain airtightness.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 89, the second sealing member S2 can be easily replaced by separating the replaceable block 11 from the valve housing 10.

FIG. 90 is a front view showing the sealing plate 23 of the gate valve system of FIG. 85, and FIG. 91 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the sealing plate 23 of the gate valve system of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 90 and 91, the valve body 20 of the gate valve system of FIG. 85 is a fixture F installed in an area outside the first sealing member S1 of the sealing plate 23. It may further include.

Therefore, when the passage 10a is closed, the sealing plate 23 can be firmly fixed to the base plate 22 using the fixture F that is not exposed to the processing environment of the process module PM. have.

92 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the sealing plate 23 of the gate valve system of FIG. 91.

As shown in FIG. 92, the sealing plate 23 may have a locking part T formed on one side, that is, a lower side, and the fastener F may be fastened to the other side and the upper side.

Therefore, first, the operator first engages the locking part T under the base plate 22 and fastens the fixing tool F above the base plate 22, so that the fastener F The installation area of the first sealing member S1 can be secured as wide as possible while reducing the number of installations and simplifying the fastening process.

On the other hand, although not shown, as the fastening device between the base plate 22 and the sealing plate 23, various fastening methods, such as various protrusions or grooves of a force engagement type, may be used.

93 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

74 to 93, the control method of the gate valve system according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a valve housing 10 in which at least one passage 10a is formed, and the passage 10a The valve body 20 on which the first sealing member S1 is installed to block the valve body 20, the moving device 30 capable of moving the valve body 20 in the passage direction, and the valve housing 10 The cover 40 and the cover 40 installed in the opening Ba of the replacement area B of the valve housing 10 so that the first sealing member S1 can be replaced while maintaining the vacuum state of the vacuum area A. In the control method of a gate valve system (4100) including a heat exchange device (50) installed on the cover (40) to heat or cool the valve body (20) or the first sealing member (S1), the A replacement area sealing step (S10) of closing the replacement area (B) of the valve housing (10) by moving the valve body (20) in the direction of the replacement area (B) with a moving device (30); An atmospheric pressure forming step (S20) of forming atmospheric pressure in the replacement area (B); A cover opening step (S30) of separating the cover 40 from the valve housing 10 to open the opening Ba; A replacement step (S40) of replacing the first sealing member (S1) through the opening (Ba); A cover fastening step (S50) of closing the opening (Ba) by fastening the cover (40) to the valve housing (10); After the cover fastening step (S50), a heat exchange step (S60) of heating or cooling the valve body 20 using the heat exchange device 50 and a vacuum pressure forming a vacuum pressure in the replacement region (B) It may include a forming step (S70). Here, in the heat exchange step 60, the heat exchange step 60 may be performed before the vacuum pressure forming step 70 so that heat transfer is smoothly performed through air.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in order to save time, the heat exchange step 60 and the vacuum pressure forming step 70 may be performed simultaneously.

94 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a gate valve system according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

94, in addition, after the cover fastening step (S50), a vacuum pressure forming step (S70) of forming a vacuum pressure in the replacement area (B) and the heat exchange device 50 It is also possible to perform a heat exchange step (S60) of heating or cooling the valve body 20.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are merely exemplary, and those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

100: gate valve
110: sealing plate
120: horizontal drive unit
130: support
140: drive unit
150: valve housing
154: exchange
155: exchange opening
160: exchange cover
174: first valve
184: second valve
200: first chamber
300: second chamber
10: valve housing
10a: passage
A: vacuum area
B: replacement area
Ba: opening
20: valve body
21: door
G: Detachable groove
22: base plate
23: sealing plate
30: moving device
M: movable table
31: first direction moving device
32: second direction moving device
40: cover
41: pivoting cover
42: sliding cover
50: heat exchange device
H: hinge shaft
S1: first sealing member
S2: second sealing member
S3: third sealing member
70: control unit
71: internal vacuum line
72: vacuum pressure release line
80: identification device
1100-4200: Gate valve system

Claims (10)

A valve housing in which at least one passage is formed;
A door having a first sealing member installed to block the passage;
A movable table supporting the door to be detachably attached;
A first direction moving device capable of moving the movable table in the valve housing from a standby position to a first position opposite to the passage in a first direction;
A second directional moving device installed between the movable table and the door and capable of moving the door from the first position to a second position capable of blocking the passage in a second direction; And
It is installed on the second direction moving device or the movable table, and is first moved from the standby position to a third position using the first direction moving device, and in the third position using the second direction moving device. Including; an isolation member that is secondly moved to a fourth position in the second direction to isolate the door replacement area of the valve housing,
A door replacement gate valve system, wherein a door replacement opening is formed on a side surface of the valve housing corresponding to the door replacement region, and a removable cover is installed in the door replacement opening. The method of claim 1,
The door is a slide-replaceable door that is slidable and detachable along the second direction moving device or a rail member installed on the isolation member. The method of claim 2,
The door has at least one rib portion formed in the middle rear portion to prevent bending due to back pressure, and the guide portion bent in an L-shape is formed in the upper and lower rear ends of the door. The method of claim 2,
A door-replaceable gate valve system, wherein an anti-friction member made of a resin is installed between the isolation plate of the isolation member and the door. The method of claim 1,
The isolation member,
Including; an isolation plate formed to correspond to the side surface of the protruding wall portion horizontally protruding in a ring shape inside the valve housing,
A door-replaceable gate valve system, wherein a second sealing member is installed on the contact surface of the protruding wall portion so as to release the vacuum only in the door replacement area while maintaining the overall vacuum of the valve housing. The method of claim 5,
When the axis is rotated at a first angle, the door is pressed and fixed to the isolating plate, and when the axis is rotated at a second angle, the isolating plate or the door is axially rotated so that the door is slidably free from the separation plate A guide pin member installed to be possible and formed in an eccentric shape by forming a notch portion at least in part;
Further comprising a door replacement gate valve system. The method of claim 1,
A pin-type jig comprising a handle and a binding pin protruding from the handle to allow the user to hold the door outside after removing the removable cover;
Further comprising a door replacement gate valve system. The method of claim 1,
After removing the removable cover, a fastening jig that can be temporarily fixed to a position of the removable cover and has a sliding fastening part formed on one side; And
The door is slidably fastened with the sliding fastening part of the fastening jig, a movable part capable of being coupled to the door is installed inside, a push bar connected to the movable part is installed externally, and the door drawn out by the push bar A chamber-type jig that can be protected by surrounding it as a whole;
Further comprising a door replacement gate valve system. The method of claim 8,
The chamber-type jig is at least any one or more of a single jig for withdrawal, a single jig for input, and a dual jig in which the single jig for withdrawal and the single jig for input is combined. Forming atmospheric pressure in the door replacement area of the valve housing by opening a valve for forming atmospheric pressure of a removable cover installed in the valve housing;
Separating the removable cover to open the opening of the valve housing;
Temporarily fastening a fastening jig to the location of the removed removable cover;
Slidingly fastening the chamber type jig to the sliding fastening part of the fastening type jig;
Drawing an old door into the chamber-type jig to the outside of the valve housing by using a push bar of the chamber-type jig;
Separating the chamber-type jig accommodating the old door from the fastening jig;
Sliding and fastening another chamber-type jig accommodating a new door to the fastening jig;
Introducing a new door into the valve housing using a push bar of the chamber type jig;
Removing both the chamber type jig and the fastening type jig from the valve housing;
Fixing the removable cover back to the valve housing; And
Forming a vacuum pressure in the door replacement area of the valve housing using a vacuum pressure forming vacuum tube installed on the detachable cover;
Including, the door replacement method of the gate valve system.

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