TW202001137A - Vacuum valve characterized in providing a vacuum gate valve capable of controlling an opening degree with a high accuracy for enabling a treatment chamber to be in a vacuum status - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a vacuum gate valve capable of controlling an opening degree with a high accuracy. An annular lifting body (50) supports a sealing ring (55) provided with a sealing member (56), and has an inclined long hole (52) into which a lifting pin (26) is inserted. The lifting body (50) moves in the inclined long hole (52) along with rotations of a rotating body (20) through the lifting pin (26), and moves upwardly and downwardly with the sealing member (56) relative to the rotating body (20). Thereby, the sealing member (56) can be pressed by the annular lifting body (50) being moved upwardly or downwardly and an entire circumference of a disk-shaped valve plate (4).

Description

Vacuum valve

The present invention relates to, for example, a vacuum valve used for vacuuming a processing chamber.

In the manufacturing steps of the semiconductor device, various processing chambers are used, for example, thin film processing based on etching, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) or PVD (Physical Deposition). In order to adjust the processing chamber to a desired pressure, a vacuum pump and a gate valve for vacuum are used. The gate valve for vacuum is arranged between the opening of the processing chamber and the suction port of the vacuum pump. As the gate valve for vacuum, a swing gate valve for vacuum is sometimes used. In the swing gate valve for vacuum, the opening of the flow path connecting the processing chamber and the vacuum pump is adjusted by the valve plate swinging in the lateral direction. In the swing type gate valve for vacuum, in order to smoothly swing the valve plate, some gaps are provided between the valve plate and the housing. Therefore, when the valve plate seals the opening of the gate valve, in order to close the gap, the valve plate is closely attached to the housing.　　 proposes that in order to achieve close contact between the valve plate and the housing, the valve plate is pressed against the housing by a spring (for example, see Patent Document 1). (Prior Art Literature) (Patent Literature) 　　 Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-185035

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] One of the exemplary objects of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a vacuum gate valve capable of accurately controlling the opening of a valve. [Means to solve the problem] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum valve including: a housing having an opening; a valve plate capable of covering the opening; a driving source; and a ring-shaped rotating body including: The outer wall, the inner wall, the bottom wall connecting the outer wall and the inner wall, the curved long hole formed in the bottom wall, and the lift pin fixed to at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, and The driving force of the rod rotates; a rod-shaped support member, which is arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, is provided with the curved long hole penetrating the bottom wall to be fixed to the first end of the housing, and the The rotating body is supported by a wide-diameter portion of the rotating axis; an annular lifting shaft, which supports a seal ring, and has: disposed between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, for inserting the lifting pin of the rotating body The inclined long hole moves in the inclined long hole by the lifting pin as the rotating body rotates, and moves up and down in the direction of the rotation axis relative to the rotating body together with the seal ring; and the first sliding member, which It is arranged between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the wide-diameter portion of the support member.　　 In addition, any combination of the above constituent elements or the constituent elements or expressors of the present invention which are mutually substituted among methods, devices, systems, etc. are also effective as a countermeasure of the present invention. [Effect of the Invention] According to the present invention, the opening degree of the vacuum gate valve can be accurately controlled.

A vacuum valve (present vacuum valve) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a housing having an opening; a valve plate capable of covering the opening; a driving source; a ring-shaped rotating body including an outer wall, an inner wall, and connecting the outer wall with A bottom wall of the inner wall, a curved long hole formed in the bottom wall, and a lifting pin fixed to at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, and rotated by a driving force from the driving source; a rod-shaped support member Arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, including: a first end portion fixed to the housing through the curved long hole passing through the bottom wall, and a wide-diameter portion supporting the rotating body; The lifting body supports the seal ring, and has an inclined long hole which is arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body and into which the lifting pin of the rotating body is inserted, and the rotating body follows the rotating body by the lifting pin Rotating to move in the oblique oblong hole and move up and down with the seal ring relative to the rotating body in the direction of the rotation axis; and a first sliding member disposed on the bottom wall of the rotating body and the support member Between the aforementioned wide-diameter portions.　　 This vacuum valve can adjust the position of the seal ring by the amount of rotation of the rotating body. That is, the position of the seal ring can be mechanically controlled. Therefore, the opening degree of the vacuum valve can be controlled with high accuracy. In addition, the first sliding member reduces the frictional resistance between the rotating body and the support member. With this, the rotating body can be smoothly rotated by the driving force from the driving source. Also, the first sliding member may include a first sliding ball, and the rotating body may further have a ball groove for holding the first sliding ball. With this, it is possible to suppress the first sliding balls from being scattered on the bottom wall of the rotating body. That is, the rotating body can hold the first sliding ball well. In addition, the support member may further include an annular plate disposed between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the wide-diameter portion of the support member, and the annular plate may have a plate groove for holding the first sliding ball. At this time, the first sliding ball is held so as to be sandwiched between the ball groove and the plate groove. With this, the first sliding ball can be held more favorably. In addition, the ball groove may include a first ball groove formed on the outer wall side of the rotating body and a second ball groove formed on the inner wall side of the rotating body. At this time, the ball groove holding the first sliding ball is arranged at two places on the bottom wall of the rotating body. Therefore, the friction resistance between the rotating body and the wide-diameter portion of the support member can be further reduced satisfactorily. Also, the plate groove may include a first plate groove facing the first ball groove of the rotating body and a second plate groove facing the second ball groove of the rotating body. At this time, the first plate groove holds the first sliding ball held by the first ball groove from the side opposite to the first ball groove. The second plate groove holds the first sliding ball held by the second ball groove from the side opposite to the second ball groove. With this, the first sliding ball can be held more favorably. Also, the valve plate may be configured to be swingable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position to open the opening, and the seal ring may be configured to be movable when the valve plate is in the closed position so as to The valve plate is in contact. According to this structure, the opening of the opening can be adjusted by swinging the valve plate in the lateral direction. With this, the opening degree of the opening can be controlled in a wide range. Also, the housing may include a second sliding member between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the housing. Therefore, when the rotating body rotates, the frictional resistance between the rotating body and the housing can be reduced. Also, the lifting body may further include a slide hole into which the second end portion opposite to the first end portion of the support member is inserted, and move up and down relative to the rotating body along the support member. Thereby, the lifting movement of the lifting body is guided by the supporting member. As a result, the lifting operation of the lifting body can be smoothed. In addition, a third sliding member may be provided between the outer peripheral surface of the second end portion of the support member and the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole. At this time, when the lifting body moves up and down relative to the rotating body, the frictional resistance between the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole of the lifting body and the outer peripheral surface of the support member can be reduced. Thereby, the lifting operation of the lifting body can be further smoothed.　　 Hereinafter, referring to the drawings, a detailed description will be given of a mode for carrying out the present invention. In addition, in the description, the same elements are denoted by the same symbols, and duplication of description will be appropriately omitted. In addition, the structure described below is an example and does not limit the scope of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of a vacuum gate valve (vacuum valve) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum container to be exhausted is, for example, the processing chamber C, and is a part of a semiconductor device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum gate valve 1 is disposed between the processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P. The processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P communicate with each other via a fluid passage 11 provided in a gate valve. That is, the vacuum pump P exhausts the gas in the processing chamber C via the fluid channel 11. The gate valve 1 for vacuum adjusts the exhaust speed by the vacuum pump P by changing the opening area of the fluid passage 11, and maintains the inside of the processing chamber C at a desired pressure. In addition, when the vacuum gate valve 1 is completely closed, the processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P are isolated, and the processing chamber is closed. The gate valve for vacuum 1 includes a housing 2 and a valve plate 4. The shape of the housing 2 is substantially ring-shaped. A fluid channel 11 is formed in the center of the housing 2. As described above, the fluid passage 11 airtightly connects the flow path between the opening of the processing chamber C and the suction port of the vacuum pump P. Therefore, the fluid channel 11 can also be called an opening of the processing chamber C. The valve plate 4 is accommodated inside the housing 2. For convenience of explanation, the portion where the valve plate is arranged in the fluid passage 11 is referred to as an opening 12. The valve plate 4 can move (swing) between the closed position covering the opening 12 and the open position not covering the opening 12 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the fluid passage 11 extends (hereinafter, also referred to as the longitudinal direction) ( Hereinafter, it is also called horizontal direction.). The valve plate 4 adjusts the opening area of the opening 12 by the swing. When the valve plate 4 is in the closed position, the vacuum gate valve 1 can be in a close state or a separated state. In the tight-fitting state, the valve plate 4 is tightly attached to the sealing member 56 attached to the seal ring 55 described later, and completely seals the opening 12. In this state, the processing chamber C is isolated from the vacuum pump P and sealed. On the other hand, in the separated state, the sealing member 56 is separated from the valve plate 4, and a longitudinal gap is generated between the valve plate 4 and the sealing member 56. That is, in the separated state, although the opening 12 is covered by the valve plate 4, due to the above-mentioned gap, the opening 12 is not completely closed, but slightly opened. In this way, in the gate valve 1 for vacuum, the valve plate 4 is located at the closed position, and when it is in a close state, the processing chamber C can be sealed. Moreover, the valve plate 4 is located between the closed position and the open position, and can partially cover the opening 12. Furthermore, the valve plate 4 is in the closed position, and when in the separated state, the opening 12 can be slightly opened. In this way, by carefully setting the horizontal opening area and the vertical opening area generated between the opening 12 and the valve plate 4, the opening degree of the vacuum gate valve 1 can be controlled in a wide range, thereby enabling a wide range Control the pressure in the processing chamber C. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall structure of the vacuum gate valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, in order to show the rotating body 20 accommodated in the housing body 2A, a part of the housing body 2A is not shown. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a vacuum gate valve 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in these figures, the vacuum gate valve 1 includes a housing 2 having the above-mentioned fluid passage 11, a valve plate 4, a motor 6, and a position adjusting section 8. As described above, the valve plate 4 is accommodated inside the housing 2 and can swing between the closed position and the open position. The motor 6 is used to swing the driving source of the valve plate 4. The valve plate 4 swings using the drive shaft of the motor 6 as a rotation axis. The 　　 position adjusting part 8 switches the close state and the separated state by moving the lifting body 50 in the axial direction relative to the valve plate 4 at the closed position. That is, the position adjusting portion 8 moves the sealing member 56 in the longitudinal direction in which the fluid passage 11 extends, that is, in the arrangement direction of the processing chamber C, the vacuum gate valve 1, and the vacuum pump P (X1 or X2 direction shown in FIG. 3 ). In addition, in the following, the above-mentioned arrangement direction (X1 and X2 directions) may be referred to as "axial direction", a direction perpendicular to the axial direction may be referred to as "radial direction", and a direction surrounding the axial direction may be referred to as "circumferential direction". . The circumferential direction is the tangential direction orthogonal to the radial direction. For example, when the valve plate 4 is in the closed position (when the valve plate 4 covers the opening 12 ), the position adjustment unit 8 can move the seal ring 55 in the direction (X1 direction) close to the valve plate 4, so that the sealing member 56 is tightly attached to Valve plate 4. This state is close to the state. In addition, the position adjusting unit 8 can move the sealing ring 55 in the close state away from the valve plate 4 (X2 direction), thereby generating a gap between the sealing member 56 and the valve plate 4. This state is a separate state. In addition, the position adjusting section 8 can adjust the distance between the seal ring 55 and the valve plate 4 to an arbitrary distance in the separated state. In addition to the valve plate 4, the housing 2 also accommodates a part of the position adjusting portion 8 (rotation mechanism 19 described later). As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 2 may be composed of a housing body 2A and a flange 2B. The flange 2B is detachably attached to the housing body 2A by bolts or the like. Thereby, the housing 2 can be opened and closed freely by attaching and detaching the flange 2B. As a result, in the gate valve 1 for vacuum, by opening the housing 2, the position adjustment unit 8 can be easily inspected, repaired, and replaced. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the position adjusting section 8. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the position adjustment unit 8 includes a drive source 18 and a rotation mechanism 19. The rotating mechanism 19 is accommodated in the internal space defined by the housing body 2A and the flange 2B. The drive source 18 is, for example, a motor. As shown in FIG. 2, the motor is installed on the outside of the housing 2. The driving source 18 may have a driving gear 18b and a rotating gear 18a. The rotating gear 18a can be accommodated inside the housing 2. The driving source 18 transmits the driving force to the rotating mechanism 19 accommodated in the internal space of the housing 2 through the driving gear 18b and the rotating gear 18a. The rotating mechanism 19 includes a rotating body 20 and a lifting body 50. The rotating body 20 and the elevating body 50 each have an annular shape, and are accommodated in the internal space of the housing 2 so as to surround the fluid passage 11 (opening 12). The rotating body 20 is supported by the flange 2B via the support member 40. The rotating body 20 is provided with a curved long hole 22a along the circumferential direction. The support member 40 penetrates the curved long hole 22a. The rotating body 20 can rotate relative to the support member 40 within the range of the circumferential length of the curved long hole 22a. A gear groove 27 meshing with the rotating gear 18a is formed on the outer surface of the rotating body 20. The rotating body 20 rotates by the drive source 18 using the center of the opening 12 as a rotating shaft, for example. The lifting body 50 does not rotate with the rotation of the rotating body 20, but moves relative to the rotating body 20 in the axial direction. The sealing member 56 moves in the axial direction integrally with the lifting body 50.　　The structure of the vacuum gate valve 1 will be described in detail below. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rotating mechanism 19, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, in order to improve the clarity, the housing 2 (the housing body 2A and the flange 2B) and the valve plate 4 are also shown together. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating mechanism 19 mainly includes a rotating body 20 supported by the supporting member 40, a lifting body 50 engaged with the rotating body, a sealing ring 55 supported by the lifting body 50, and a sealing member 56 mounted on the sealing ring 55 .　　As described above, the vacuum valve 1 drives the rotating body 20 by the drive source 18 provided outside the housing 2. The housing 2 has an opening for transmitting the rotation of the drive source 18 to the gear groove 27 of the rotating body 20. Therefore, a part of the internal space of the housing 2 is, for example, a region where the rotating body 20 is arranged to become atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, the valve plate 4 is arranged in the vacuum area. Therefore, the vacuum area is sealed from the atmospheric pressure area by the packaging member 57. The packaging member 57 separating the vacuum area and the atmospheric pressure area is, for example, an O-ring 57. As the packaging member 57, a pair of O-rings 57 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface of the lifting body 50. Similarly, a pair of O-rings 57 may be provided on the outer circumferential surface and inner circumferential surface of the seal ring 55. The side closer to the valve plate 4 (X1 side) than the O-ring 57 becomes the same vacuum as the fluid passage 11. On the other hand, the side farther away from the valve plate 4 than the sealing member (X2 side) becomes atmospheric pressure. In this way, the fluid passage 11 airtightly communicates the processing chamber C and the vacuum pump P. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the support member 40. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the disassembled support member. The support member 40 is a substantially rod-shaped (pin-shaped) member, passes through the curved long hole 22a of the rotating body 20, and is fixed to the flange 2B. The support member 40 includes a first end 43a, a wide-diameter portion 44 and a second end 43b on the opposite side of the first end 43a. A screw portion 42 is formed on the first end portion 43a. The screw portion 42 is engaged with the screw hole 14a provided in the flange 2B (see FIG. 5). The second end 43b may include a third sliding member 46. The third sliding member 46 is, for example, a ball slider 46. The ball slider 46 includes a hollow cylindrical body and a plurality of small balls arranged on the side of the body. The balls can rotate in any direction on the side of the body. The ball slider 46 is fitted into the second end portion 43b of the support member 40. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the flange 2B. FIG. 8 shows the flange 2B with the valve plate 4 side facing upward. As shown in FIG. 8, the flange 2B includes an inner tube 13, a groove portion 14 and a flange portion 16 and is a substantially ring-shaped member. The inner cylinder 13 has a hollow cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction. The inner side of the inner tube 13 becomes a space for the fluid passage 11. The flange portion 16 includes a plurality of screw holes 17 for fixing the flange 2B to the housing body 2A. The groove portion 14 is provided between the inner tube 13 and the flange portion 16. The groove portion 14 is provided with a plurality of screw holes 14a at every predetermined interval. The screw portion 42 of the support member 40 is engaged with the screw hole 14a. The groove portion 14 accommodates a part of the rotating body 20 constituting the rotating mechanism 19. The second sliding member 15 may be disposed between the groove 14 and the rotating body 20. The second sliding member 15 is, for example, a plurality of flange balls 15. The flange balls 15 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The flange ball 15 is held to be able to rotate in any direction between the rotating body 20 and the groove 14 (flange 2B). Therefore, the flange ball 15 functions as a ball bearing. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the flange 2B and the rotating body 20 fitted in the groove portion 14 of the flange 2B. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 5, the rotating body 20 is an annular member having a concave (U-shaped) cross section. That is, the rotating body 20 includes an outer wall 21, an inner wall 23 arranged concentrically with the outer wall, and a bottom wall 22 that connects the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23. The outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23 are hollow cylindrical members, respectively, and the outer wall 21 has a larger diameter than the inner wall 22. The bottom wall 22 is a ring-shaped member, and the outer diameter substantially matches the diameter of the outer wall 21, and the inner diameter substantially matches the diameter of the inner wall 23. The bottom wall 22 has a curved long hole 22a through which the support member 40 penetrates. A plurality of curved long holes 22a may be formed at equal intervals. The curved long hole 22 a has a length corresponding to the amount of rotation of the rotating body 20 in the circumferential direction in order to allow the rotating body 20 to rotate relative to the support member 40. That is, the rotating body 20 can rotate until the end of the curved long hole 22a abuts the support member 40. The first sliding member 28 is arranged between the bottom wall 22 and the support member 40. The first sliding member is, for example, a ball. A ball groove for holding balls is provided on the surface of the bottom wall 22 on the side opposite to the flange 2B. FIG. 10 shows a state where the first sliding member 28 is arranged on the bottom wall 22. Multiple ball grooves can be provided. For example, an outer ball groove (first ball groove) 24 may be formed near the corner where the outer wall 21 and the bottom wall 22 are connected. Furthermore, an inner ball groove (second ball groove) 25 may be formed near the corner where the inner wall 23 and the bottom wall 22 are connected. At this time, the curved long hole 22a is located between the outer ball groove and the inner ball groove. In this way, a plurality of ball grooves are arranged concentrically sandwiching the curved long hole 22a. A plurality of bottom wall balls 28 are arranged in the outer ball groove 24 and the inner ball groove 25. As shown in the figure, bottom wall balls 28 are arranged in the outer ball grooves 24 and the inner ball grooves 25 and over substantially the entire area in the circumferential direction. The bottom wall balls 28 can rotate in these grooves in any direction. Therefore, the frictional resistance between the rotating body 20 and the supporting member 40 generated when the rotating body 20 rotates relative to the supporting member 40 is reduced. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the ring plate 30. FIG. The ring plate 30 is arranged to cover the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20 where the bottom wall balls 28 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 11, the ring plate 30 is a ring-shaped member provided with a plurality of through holes 32. Each through hole 32 is an opening into which the supporting member 40 is fitted. The inner diameter of the through hole 32 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the support member 40. Therefore, when the support member 40 penetrates the through hole 32, the movement of the ring plate 30 in the rotation direction is suppressed. Therefore, the ring plate 30 is fixed integrally with the support member 40 and does not rotate with the rotating body 20. In addition, plate grooves are provided on the outer and inner sides of the ring plate 30 along the circumferential direction of the ring plate 30. The plate groove is provided corresponding to the ball groove. For example, an outer plate groove (first plate groove) 34 and an inner plate groove (second plate groove) 36 are provided. The outer plate groove 34 holds the bottom wall balls 28 held by the outer ball groove 24 from the side opposite to the outer ball groove 24. The inner plate groove 36 holds the bottom wall balls 28 held in the inner ball groove 25 from the side opposite to the inner ball groove 25. That is, the diameter of the circle formed by the outer plate groove 34 is the same as the diameter of the circle formed by the outer ball groove 24. The diameter of the circle formed by the inner plate groove 36 is the same as the diameter of the circle formed by the inner ball groove 25. The bottom wall ball 28 is held to be able to rotate in any direction between the outer ball groove 24 and the outer plate groove 34 and between the inner ball groove 25 and the inner plate groove 36. In this way, the bottom wall ball 28 is rotatably held by the ball groove and the plate groove. That is, the bottom wall balls 28 included in the rotating body 20 function as a ball bearing between the rotating body 20 and the ring plate 30.　　 Referring again to FIG. 5, the support of the rotating body 20 formed by the support member 40 will be described. As described above, the threaded portion 42 provided at the front end of the support member 40 penetrates the through hole 32 of the ring plate 30 and the curved long hole 22a of the rotating body 20, and is engaged with the screw hole 14a provided in the flange 2B. The wide-diameter portion 44 is provided substantially at the center in the longitudinal direction of the support member 40. The wide-diameter portion 44 includes a first surface 44a which is a surface on the side of the first end portion 43a and a second surface 44b which is a surface on the side opposite to the first surface 44a and which is a surface on the side of the second end portion 43b. When the screw portion 42 is engaged with the screw hole 14 a, the first surface 44 a comes into contact with the ring plate 30. That is, the wide-diameter portion 44 sandwiches the rotating body 20 and the ring plate 30 between the flange 2b and the first surface 44a. On the other hand, the second surface 44 b of the wide-diameter portion 44 faces the upper surface of the lifting body 50. The radial width of the wide-diameter portion 44 is slightly smaller than the radial gap between the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23. Therefore, the wide-diameter portion 44 is arranged between the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23. In this way, the rotating body 20 is rotatably supported by the support member 40. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the lifting body 50 from diagonally above. As shown in FIG. 12, the lifting body 50 is a ring-shaped member having a plurality of sliding holes 54 provided on the upper surface along the axial direction and a plurality of inclined long holes 52 provided on the side. The slide hole 54 is arranged at a position corresponding to the support member 40. As shown in FIG. 5, in the lifting body 50, the second end 43 b of the support member 40 is inserted into the slide hole 54. The inner diameter of the slide hole 54 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the second end portion 43b of the support member 40. The ball slider 6 may be provided between the second end portion 43b of the support member 40 and the sliding hole. With such a structure, the lifting body 50 can move in the axial direction. On the other hand, the rotation of the lifting body 50 is restricted by the support member 40. The rotating body 20 has a lifting pin 26 which is fixed to at least one of the outer wall 21 or the inner wall 23 at a position different from the support member 40 in the circumferential direction and extends in the radial direction. Both ends of the lifting pin 26 are preferably supported on the outer wall 21 and the inner wall 23 respectively. Therefore, the lift pin 26 rotates as the rotating body 20 rotates. A plurality of lift pins 26 may be arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. For example, the support members 40 and the lift pins 26 may be alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. The lifting pin 26 is engaged with the inclined long hole 52 of the lifting body 50 to support the lifting body 50. The oblique long hole 52 is a long hole penetrating the lifting body 50 in the radial direction, and extends obliquely with respect to both the axial direction and the plane perpendicular to the axial direction. As described above, the lifting body 50 cannot rotate due to the engagement with the support member 40. Thereby, when the rotating body 20 rotates, the lifting pin 26 moves in the inclined long hole 52, and along with this movement, the lifting body 50 moves in the axial direction. Therefore, the circumferential length of the oblique long hole 52 has a length corresponding to the amount of rotation of the rotating body 20.　　The structure of the lifting body 50 and the seal ring 55 will be described again using FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, a seal ring 55 is attached to the lower surface of the lifting body 50. The seal ring 55 is an annular member similar to the lifting body 50 and moves integrally with the lifting body 50. The upper surface of the seal ring 55 can be fixed to the lower surface of the lifting body 50 by a detachable fitting mechanism in consideration of maintainability. The seal ring 55 has a seal member 56 on its lower surface. The sealing member 56 is, for example, an O-ring. When the lifting body 50 moves in the X1 direction, the seal ring 55 (seal member 56) comes into contact with the valve plate 4. As described above, in the present embodiment, the ring-shaped lifting body 50 moves up and down together with the seal ring 55 by the rotation of the rotating body 20. Thereby, in this embodiment, the ring-shaped lifting body 50 that moves up and down can press (hold) the seal ring 55 over the entire circumference of the disc-shaped valve plate 4. With this, it is possible to satisfactorily suppress the occurrence of a gap between the valve plate 4 and the sealing member 56 and maintain the close state (the sealed state of the processing chamber C). FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are perspective views for explaining the operation of the rotating mechanism 19. In FIGS. 13 and 14, in order to show the engagement state of the inclined long hole 52 of the lifting body 50 and the lifting pin 26, a part of the outer wall 21 of the rotating body 20 is not shown. As described above, in the rotating mechanism 19, the plurality of lifting pins 26 whose ends are fixed to the outer wall 21 are inserted into the inclined long holes 52 of the lifting body 50. The front end of the lift pin 26 inserted into the oblique long hole 52 is fixed to the inner wall 23 of the rotating body 20. In order to smooth the relative movement of the inclined long hole 52 and the lift pin 26, the lift pin 26 may have a bearing on its outer periphery. In this way, the lifting body 50 is mechanically engaged with the rotating body 20. As described above, the oblique long hole 52 extends obliquely with respect to the axial direction. Furthermore, the rotation of the lifting body 50 is restricted by the support member 40. Therefore, when the rotating body 20 rotates, the lifting pin 26 relatively moves in the inclined long hole 52, and the lifting body 50 moves up and down in the axial direction. FIG. 13 shows a state where the lifting pin 26 of the rotating body 20 is located at the lowest end of the inclined long hole 52. In this state, the lifting body 50 is located at the highest position. That is, the axial distance between the sealing ring 55 and the valve plate 4 becomes the largest. In this state, the valve plate 4 is allowed to swing. When the pressure of the processing chamber C is set to be high, the lifting pin 26 moves toward the uppermost terminal located at the inclined long hole 52. As the lifting pin 26 moves, the lifting body 50 is pushed down by the lifting pin 26. With this, the axial distance between the seal ring 55 and the valve plate 4 becomes smaller. FIG. 14 shows a state where the lifting pin 26 of the rotating body 20 is located at the uppermost terminal of the inclined long hole 52. In this state, the lifting body 50 is located at the lowest position. That is, the seal ring 55 (seal member 56) is in contact with the valve plate 4. In particular, in the separated state, that is, the state in which the processing chamber C is exhausted by the vacuum pump P, the pressure difference between the upper and lower spaces of the O-ring 57 becomes larger. Due to this pressure difference, the lifting body 50 and the seal ring 55 receive the force of stretching in the X1 direction. Since the lifting body 50 is supported by the rotating body 20 via the lifting pins 26, the rotating body 20 also receives the force of stretching in the X1 direction in the same manner as the lifting body 50. That is, the rotating body 20 is pressed against the wide-diameter portion 44 of the support member 40. Therefore, the pressure difference generated by the O-ring 57 may increase the sliding resistance between the rotating body 20 and the first surface 44a of the wide-diameter portion 44. If the sliding resistance increases excessively, the rotation of the rotating body 20 may be hindered. The obstruction of the rotating body 20 affects the lifting position of the seal ring 55, so the pressure of the processing chamber C may be affected. Regarding this, in the present embodiment, the rotating body 20 has the bottom wall ball 28 as the first sliding member. The bottom wall balls 28 are arranged between the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20 and the annular plate 30 (the first surface 44a of the wide diameter portion 44 of the support member 40). That is, the rotating body 20 is in contact with the ring plate 30 (first surface 44a) via the bottom wall balls 28. Therefore, when the rotating body 20 is stretched toward the valve plate 4 side (ring plate 30 side), the bottom wall ball 28 also functions as a ball bearing, so it is possible to reduce the relationship between the rotating body 20 and the supporting member 40 (ring plate 30) Frictional resistance. As a result, the rotating body 20 can be smoothly rotated by the driving force from the drive source 18, and the position of the seal ring can be adjusted with high accuracy. Therefore, the opening degree of the valve can be controlled with high accuracy. In this embodiment, the rotating body 20 includes a ball groove for holding the bottom wall ball 28. With this, it is possible to suppress the bottom wall balls 28 from being scattered on the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20. That is, the rotating body 20 can hold the bottom wall balls 28 well. Furthermore, since the bottom wall balls 28 are arranged at two places on the outside and inside of the bottom wall 22, the space between the rotating body 20 and the annular plate 30 (the first surface 44a of the wide diameter portion 44 of the support member 40) can be further reduced Friction resistance. In addition, in the present embodiment, the annular plate 30 disposed between the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20 and the wide-diameter portion 44 of the support member 40 is provided. In addition, the annular plate 30 has an outer plate groove 34 and an inner plate groove 36 for holding the bottom wall balls 28. The outer plate groove 34 holds the bottom wall balls 28 held by the outer ball groove 24 from the side opposite to the outer ball groove 24. The inner plate groove 36 holds the bottom wall balls 28 held in the inner ball groove 25 from the side opposite to the inner ball groove 25. Thereby, in this embodiment, the bottom wall ball 28 can be held more favorably. In addition, in the present embodiment, the flange 2B includes a plurality of flange balls 15 as the second sliding member 15 in the groove portion 14, and the flange balls 15 are in contact with the rotating body 20. That is, the rotating body 20 contacts the flange 2B via the flange ball 15. Therefore, when the rotating body 20 rotates, the flange ball 15 functions as a ball bearing, so that the frictional resistance between the rotating body 20 and the flange 2B (groove portion 14) can be reduced. With this, the rotating body 20 can be rotated more smoothly by the driving force from the driving source 18. In addition, in this embodiment, the ball slider 46 is provided between the sliding hole 54 of the lifting body 50 and the support member 40. With this, the lifting movement of the lifting body 50 can be supported by the supporting member 40. As a result, the lifting operation of the lifting body 50 can be smoothed. In the above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and those skilled in the art should understand that various design changes can be made and various modifications can be realized, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the valve plate 4 can be moved (swinged) between the closed position and the open position by the driving force of the motor 6. However, the valve plate 4 can also be fixed in the closed position. At this time, the degree of vacuum of the processing chamber C is adjusted by the state of the valve plate 4 (closed state or separated state). In this embodiment, the first sliding member 28, the second sliding member 15, and the third sliding member 46 are balls respectively. However, each sliding member is not limited to this, and may have any shape such as a needle shape. In the present embodiment, the rotating body 20 has eight lifting pins 26, and the lifting body 50 has eight oblique long holes 52. However, the number of lift pins 26 and oblique long holes 52 is not limited to this, and may be any number. In the present embodiment, an annular plate 30 is provided on the bottom wall 22 of the rotating body 20, and the rotating body 20 faces the first surface 44a of the support member 40 via the annular plate 30. However, it is not limited to this, and the rotating body 20 may not include the ring plate 30. At this time, the rotating body 20 is in contact with the first surface 44a of the support member 40 via the bottom wall balls 28. In addition, the bottom wall ball 28 can function as a ball bearing between the rotating body 20 and the first surface 44a of the support member 40, reducing frictional resistance between these. [Industrial Applicability] The present invention can be applied to, for example, a vacuum valve used to set a vacuum in a processing chamber.

C‧‧‧Process chamber P‧‧‧Vacuum pump 1‧‧‧Vacuum gate valve 2‧‧‧Case 2A‧‧‧Case body 2B‧‧‧Flange 4‧‧‧Valve plate 6‧‧‧Motor 8‧‧ ‧Position adjustment part 11‧‧‧Fluid passage 12‧‧‧Opening 13‧‧‧Inner tube 14‧‧‧Slot part 14a‧‧‧Thread hole 15‧‧‧Flange ball 16‧‧‧Flange part 17‧‧ ‧Threaded hole 18‧‧‧Drive source 18a‧‧‧Rotating gear 18b‧‧‧Drive gear 19‧‧‧Rotating mechanism 20‧‧‧Rotating body 21‧‧‧Outer wall 22‧‧‧Bottom wall 22a‧‧‧Bending length Hole 23‧‧‧Inner wall 24‧‧‧Outer ball groove 25‧‧‧Inner ball groove 26‧‧‧Lift pin 27‧‧‧Gear groove 28‧‧‧Bottom wall ball 30‧‧‧Annular plate 32‧‧‧ Through-hole 34‧‧‧Outer plate groove 36‧‧‧Inner plate groove 40‧‧‧Support member 42‧‧‧Thread part 43a‧‧‧First end 43b‧‧‧Second end 44‧‧‧ Part 44a‧‧‧1st surface 44b‧‧‧2nd surface 46‧‧‧ball slider 50‧‧‧lifting body 52‧‧‧inclined long hole 54‧‧‧sliding hole 55‧‧‧sealing ring 56‧‧ ‧Seal member 57‧‧‧Packaging member

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of a vacuum gate valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall structure of a vacuum gate valve.　　 Figure 3 is a sectional view of a vacuum gate valve. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of a position adjusting section provided in a vacuum gate valve. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rotation mechanism provided in the position adjustment unit, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow line AA line shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of the support member provided in the rotation mechanism. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the disassembled support member. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of a flange which is a part of a housing of a vacuum gate valve. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a flange and a rotating body embedded in the groove of the flange. FIG. 10 shows the bottom wall balls arranged in the outer ball groove and the inner ball groove of the rotating body.　　 FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an annular plate provided in the rotating mechanism.　　 FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the lifting body included in the rotating mechanism from diagonally above. FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the rotating mechanism. FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the rotating mechanism.

2A‧‧‧Shell body

2B‧‧‧Flange

4‧‧‧Valve plate

14a‧‧‧Screw hole

19‧‧‧ Rotating mechanism

20‧‧‧rotating body

21‧‧‧Outer wall

23‧‧‧Inner wall

28‧‧‧Bottom ball

30‧‧‧Ring plate

40‧‧‧Supporting member

42‧‧‧Thread

44‧‧‧ Wide diameter section

44a‧‧‧The first side

44b‧‧‧The second side

50‧‧‧Lifting body

55‧‧‧Seal ring

56‧‧‧Seal member

57‧‧‧Packaging components

Claims (9)

A vacuum valve comprising: a 　　 case having an opening; a 　　 valve plate capable of covering the opening; a 　　 driving source; a 　　 ring-shaped rotating body comprising: an outer wall, an inner wall, a bottom wall connecting the outer wall and the inner wall, and forming A curved long hole in the bottom wall, and a lifting pin fixed to at least one of the inner wall and the outer wall, and is rotated by a driving force from the driving source; 　　 rod-shaped support member, which is disposed on the rotating body Between the outer wall and the inner wall, there are: a first end portion fixed to the housing through the curved long hole that penetrates the bottom wall, and a wide-diameter portion that supports the rotating body in the rotation axis; 　　 annular lifting body , Which supports a seal ring, and has an inclined long hole which is arranged between the outer wall and the inner wall of the rotating body, and into which the lifting pin of the rotating body is inserted, and the rotating pin rotates with the rotating body While moving in the oblique long hole and moving up and down with the seal ring relative to the rotating body toward the rotating axis; and a first sliding member disposed on the bottom wall of the rotating body and the width of the supporting member Between the diameter. The vacuum valve according to item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the first sliding member includes a first sliding ball, and the rotating body further has a ball groove for holding the first sliding ball. The vacuum valve according to item 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the support member further includes an annular plate disposed between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the wide-diameter portion of the support member, and the annular plate has a Hold the plate groove of the first sliding ball. The vacuum valve according to item 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the 　　 ball grooves include: a first ball groove formed on the outer wall side of the rotating body; and a second ball groove formed on the foregoing of the rotating body Inner wall side. The vacuum valve according to item 4 of the patent application scope, wherein the 　　 plate groove includes: a first plate groove, which is opposed to the first ball groove of the rotating body; and a second plate groove, which is opposite to the rotating body The aforementioned second ball grooves face each other. The vacuum valve according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the valve plate is configured to be swingable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position to open the opening, and the sealing ring is configured to form the valve plate When it is in the aforementioned closed position, it can move so as to contact the aforementioned valve plate. The vacuum valve according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the housing includes a second sliding member between the bottom wall of the rotating body and the housing. The vacuum valve according to item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the lifting body further includes a sliding hole into which the second end of the supporting member is inserted, and moves up and down relative to the rotating body along the supporting member. The vacuum valve according to item 8 of the patent application scope, wherein a third sliding member is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the second end portion of the supporting member and the inner peripheral surface of the sliding hole.

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