WO2009107495A1

WO2009107495A1 - Seal and gate valve with the same

Info

Publication number: WO2009107495A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/052489
Authority: WO
Inventors: 和明辻; 晃村松
Original assignee: 日本バルカー工業株式会社
Priority date: 2008-02-29
Filing date: 2009-02-16
Publication date: 2009-09-03
Also published as: JPWO2009107495A1; TW200944678A

Abstract

Provided are a seal which can provide sufficient sealing force at a low load, which does not allow leakage of reaction gas to the outside to prevent environmental pollution, and which is highly safe, and a gate valve using the seal. A substantially annular seal mounted in a mounting groove in a portion to be sealed. The cross-sectional shape of the seal has a base placed so as to be separated from the bottom of the mounting groove, one engaging section extending from the base to the lower part of one side wall of the mounting groove and engaging the one side wall, the other engaging section extending from the base to the lower part of the other side wall of the mounting groove and engaging in an engaging groove formed on the other side wall side of the bottom of the mounting groove, and lips formed on a seal surface of the base so as to protrude from the seal surface at positions located at a spaced distance from each other.

Description

Sealing material and gate valve equipped with sealing material

The present invention relates to, for example, a sealing material used for a gate valve used between a vacuum chamber and an external atmosphere and between vacuum chambers in a thin film forming apparatus such as a solar cell such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and the seal. The present invention relates to a gate valve using a material.

In semiconductor manufacturing such as silicon wafers, thin film manufacturing, and liquid crystal manufacturing, film formation processing of devices such as sputtering and plasma etching is performed in a high environment under a clean environment.

In these manufacturing apparatuses, for example, a vacuum gate valve is used to open and close each chamber between the vacuum chamber and the external atmosphere and between the vacuum chambers.

For example, a one-action type vacuum gate valve is known as a vacuum gate valve used in such a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

Such a one-action type vacuum gate valve and a sealing material used therefor have been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-155016.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, in this one-action type vacuum gate valve 100, the

gate openings

104a and 104b are inserted into the substantially box-shaped valve box body 102 so as to penetrate the valve box body 102. Is formed. The drive shaft 106 is moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) in a direction crossing the

gate openings

104a and 104b.

Due to the movement of the drive shaft 106, the substantially plate-shaped valve body 108 attached to the distal end portion of the drive shaft 106 moves away from and approaches the valve seat formed on the valve box body 102, thereby opening the gate opening. The

parts

104a and 104b are configured to be opened or closed.

It should be noted that a sealing material 110 is mounted in a mounting groove 112 having a dovetail shape on the distal end portion 108a and the proximal end portion 108b of the valve body 108, respectively. As shown in FIG. 11, the seal material 110 is used in a state where a long and narrow annular seal material is pushed open to both sides from a broken line position.

As a result, when the valve body 108 moves in the direction of closing the

gate openings

104a and 104b via the drive shaft 106 and is seated on the valve seat formed in the valve box body 102, the sealing material 110 It is designed to be airtightly closed.

Such a vacuum gate valve 100 is incorporated into, for example, a semiconductor or a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, and is used with the gate opening 104a connected to the atmosphere side and the gate opening 104b connected to the decompression side.

In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 12, the sealing material 110 has a cross-sectional shape that contacts the first corner 110a that contacts the sealing surface of the valve seat, the bottom of the mounting groove 112, and the side wall. A substantially triangular shape having a second corner portion 110b and a third corner portion 110c in contact with each other is formed, and a recess 110e is formed on at least a part of the bottom surface of the base end portion 110d.

Thereby, since the 1st corner part 110a which is the top part which comprises a sealing surface deform | transforms easily, it is comprised so that a predetermined | prescribed sealing force can be obtained with a low load.
JP 2007-155016 A JP 2002-267029 A

However, in the sealing material 110 as in Patent Document 1, the portion that contacts the sealing surface of the valve seat has a so-called single sealing structure in which only the first corner portion 110a exists. If a harmful gas such as a reactive gas generated during film formation of a device such as sputtering or plasma etching leaks from the first corner portion 110a to the atmosphere side, May contaminate the environment.

Further, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-267029), as shown in FIG. 13, in the vacuum seal mechanism 200, a double mounting groove of an inner peripheral mounting groove and an outer peripheral mounting groove (not shown) is provided. Two

concentric sealing materials

202 and 204, which are an inner circumferential side sealing material 202 and an outer circumferential side sealing material 204, are mounted.

An intermediate exhaust path 208 having a discharge hole 206 is provided between the

sealing materials

202 and 204, and the pressure is reduced between the

sealing materials

202 and 204 via the intermediate exhaust path 208. Yes. By applying this, it is conceivable to discharge the gas leaked from the sealing material 202 on the inner peripheral side to the outside.

However, in such a vacuum seal mechanism 200 as in Patent Document 2, a double mounting groove of an inner peripheral side mounting groove and an outer peripheral side mounting groove is formed, and two concentric seals are formed in these mounting grooves. Since the

materials

202 and 204 need to be mounted, the structure becomes complicated, and it takes time and effort for processing, and the number of parts increases and the cost increases.

If the number of parts increases in this way, particles or the like may be generated. For example, in a semiconductor or liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, the quality of the product may be affected.

In view of such a current situation, the present invention can obtain a sufficient sealing force with a low load in a vacuum gate valve used in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, etc. There is no leakage, and the leaked gas can be discharged to the outside from the exhaust hole of the exhaust path arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the seal part, and the surrounding environment is not polluted, safety An object of the present invention is to provide a high sealing material and a gate valve using the sealing material.

The present invention has been invented in order to achieve the problems and objects in the prior art as described above, and the sealing material of the present invention comprises:
A substantially annular sealing material mounted in the mounting groove of the seal portion,
The cross-sectional shape of the sealing material is
A proximal end portion spaced apart from the bottom of the mounting groove;
From the base end portion, one side locking piece portion that extends below one side wall side of the mounting groove and is locked to one side wall of the mounting groove;
From the base end portion, the other side locking piece portion that extends below the other side wall side of the mounting groove and is locked in the locking groove formed on the other side wall side of the mounting groove,
A plurality of lip portions formed on the sealing surface side of the base end portion so as to protrude at a predetermined interval from each other;
The distance L between the lip portions located on the outermost side among the plurality of lip portions is formed so as to be larger than the diameter d of the exhaust hole disposed on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion. And

With this configuration, the plurality of lip portions constituting the sealing surface are easily deformed, so that the surface pressure is increased, the sealing pressure is increased, and a predetermined sealing force is obtained with a low load (low tightening force). Obtainable.

Conversely, when the initial compressive load is exceeded, the base end portion that is spaced apart from the bottom portion of the mounting groove has the one-side locking piece portion and the other-side locking piece portion as fulcrums. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a predetermined repulsive force, thereby preventing a so-called metal touch where metal parts come into contact with each other, preventing generation of particles, and a predetermined sealing force. Can be obtained.

Furthermore, the one side locking piece is locked to one side wall of the mounting groove, and the other side locking piece is engaged in the locking groove formed on the other side wall of the bottom of the mounting groove. Since the sealing material is stopped, the sealing material can be prevented from falling out of the mounting groove, the rolling of the sealing material can be prevented, the sealing performance is not deteriorated, and a constant sealing force can always be maintained. .

Further, an exhaust hole of an exhaust path disposed on the seal material abutting surface of the seal portion is positioned between adjacent lip portions of the plurality of lip portions formed so as to protrude from each other at a predetermined interval. In this way, for example, if a harmful gas such as a reactive gas generated during film formation processing of a device such as sputtering or plasma etching of a semiconductor or a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus is leaked, it can be exhausted. Since it can be discharged to a reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole of the path, there is no possibility of polluting the surrounding environment.

In the sealing material of the present invention, among the plurality of lip portions, the distance L between adjacent lip portions where the exhaust holes arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion are located is the diameter d of the exhaust holes. It is formed to be wider.

That is, in order to discharge the leaked gas to the outside, when the exhaust hole of the exhaust path is arranged on the seal material contact surface of the seal portion, the seal material contact surface of the seal portion among the plurality of lip portions. If the distance L between the adjacent lip portions where the arranged exhaust holes are located is smaller than the diameter d of the exhaust holes, the exhaust holes may be blocked by the lip portions.

As a result, harmful gas such as reaction gas cannot be discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole of the exhaust path, and there is a risk of polluting the surrounding environment.

On the other hand, as in the sealing material of the present invention, among the plurality of lip portions, the distance L between adjacent lip portions where the exhaust holes arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the sealing portion are located is exhausted. If it is wider than the diameter d of the hole, the exhaust hole of the exhaust path arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion can be positioned between the adjacent lip portions.

Therefore, the exhaust hole is not blocked by the lip portion, and as a result, harmful gases such as reaction gas are reliably discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole of the exhaust path. There is no risk of polluting the surrounding environment.

The seal material of the present invention is formed such that the distance L between the lip portions is L ≦ 0.7 W with respect to the opening width W of the mounting groove, and the seal material contact surface of the seal portion It is characterized by being formed so that it may become L> = 3d with respect to the diameter d of the exhaust hole arrange | positioned in this.

That is, when the distance L between the lip portions is larger than the opening width W of the mounting groove, the tip portion of the lip portion is deformed outward when the lip portion is pressed against the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion. However, in this state, it comes into contact with the corner of the mounting groove, the lip portion constituting the sealing surface of the sealing material is damaged, and the sealing performance is lowered.

On the other hand, when the distance L between the lip portions is smaller than the opening width W of the mounting groove as in the sealing material of the present invention, when the lip portion is pressed against the seal surface of the seal portion, Even when the tip part is deformed outward, it does not come into contact with the corner of the mounting groove, and the lip part constituting the sealing surface of the sealing material is not damaged, so that the sealing performance is not deteriorated. , Can always maintain a constant sealing force.

Further, the sealing material of the present invention is formed such that the distance L between the lip portions is L ≦ 0.7 W with respect to the opening width W of the mounting groove.

If the distance L between the lip portions is within such a range, when the lip portion is pressed against the seal surface of the seal portion and the tip portion of the lip portion is deformed outward, the mounting groove Contact with the corners can be reliably prevented, and the lip portion constituting the sealing surface of the sealing material is not damaged, so that the sealing performance is not deteriorated and a constant sealing force can always be maintained. .

Further, the sealing material of the present invention is formed so that L ≧ 3d with respect to the diameter d of the exhaust hole arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the sealing portion.

If the distance L between the lip portions is within such a range, the exhaust holes can be reliably prevented from being blocked by the lip portions. As a result, the reaction gas or the like can be prevented via the exhaust holes in the exhaust path. This harmful gas can be reliably discharged to a reaction gas processing system provided separately, and there is no possibility of polluting the surrounding environment.

Further, the sealing material of the present invention is characterized in that the surface pressure of each lip portion located on the outermost side among the plurality of lip portions is formed so as to have a difference.

By configuring in this way, for example, in the gate valve, the seal surface pressure is made larger on the other side lip portion arranged on the atmospheric pressure side than on the one side lip portion arranged on the vacuum side. The reaction gas can be reliably prevented from flowing out to the atmosphere side.

Further, in the sealing material of the present invention, the separation distance S from the bottom of the mounting groove to the bottom of the base end portion is S / S with respect to the height H from the bottom of the mounting groove of the sealing material to the top of the lip portion. It is characterized by being formed so that h = 0.2 to 0.4.

That is, the separation distance S from the bottom of the mounting groove to the bottom of the base end is set to a height S from the bottom of the mounting groove of the sealing material to the top of the lip, and the value of S / h is 0.2. If it is smaller, the compression reaction force of the seal is increased and the sealing performance is lowered.

On the other hand, if the value of S / h is larger than 0.4, the lip portion will fall more into the inside, the lip gap will become smaller, and the exhaust hole will be blocked by the lip portion. There is.

On the other hand, as in the sealing material of the present invention, the separation distance S from the bottom of the mounting groove to the bottom of the base end is relative to the height H from the bottom of the mounting groove of the sealing material to the top of the lip. If the value of S / h is in the range of S / h = 0.2 to 0.4, the compression reaction force of the seal can be reduced. For example, the compression reaction force is about half that of a conventional O-ring. The compression reaction force is appropriate and sufficient sealing performance can be obtained without deteriorating the sealing performance.

Moreover, the exhaust hole is not blocked by the lip portion, and harmful gas such as reaction gas can be discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole of the exhaust path, There is no risk of polluting the surrounding environment.

Further, the sealing material of the present invention is characterized in that a projecting portion projecting from the bottom side of the mounting groove is formed at the bottom of the base end portion.

With this configuration, when the lip portion comes into pressure contact with the seal surface of the seal portion, the projecting portion comes into contact with the bottom portion of the mounting groove to increase the surface pressure of the lip, thereby improving the sealing performance. be able to.

Further, the sealing material of the present invention is characterized in that the sealing material is a sealing material attached to a gate valve.

By configuring in this way, for example, in a vacuum gate valve used in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, etc., a sufficient sealing force can be obtained with a low load, and a reactive gas etc. leaks to the outside. In addition, it is possible to discharge leaked gas to the outside from the exhaust hole of the exhaust path arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the seal part, and to prevent the surrounding environment from being polluted, and a highly safe seal And a gate valve using the sealing material can be provided.

Further, in the gate valve of the present invention, the sealing material described above is in a mounting groove formed on the valve plate side of the gate valve,
While locking one side locking piece of the sealing material to one side wall of the mounting groove,
The other side locking piece of the sealing material is detachably mounted by being locked in a locking groove formed on the other side wall of the bottom of the mounting groove.

By being configured in this manner, the one side locking piece is locked to one side wall of the mounting groove, and the other side locking piece is formed on the other side of the bottom of the mounting groove. Since it is locked in the locking groove, the sealing material can be prevented from falling out of the mounting groove, and the sealing material can be prevented from rolling, and the sealing performance is not deteriorated. Can be maintained.

In the gate valve of the present invention, the other side locking piece portion of the sealing material is attached / detached to form the other side wall of the mounting groove in the locking groove formed on the other side wall side of the bottom portion of the mounting groove. It is characterized in that it is detachably mounted by locking with a free locking plate.

With this configuration, the other side locking piece of the sealing material is detachable to form the other side wall of the mounting groove in the locking groove formed on the other side wall side of the bottom of the mounting groove. It can be locked with the locking plate, and the sealing material can be easily mounted and replaced.

In addition, when the initial compressive load is exceeded, the base end portion that is spaced apart from the bottom of the mounting groove is bent like a spring with the one side locking piece and the other side locking piece as fulcrums. When deforming, the gas in the space formed by the base end, the one side locking piece, the other side locking piece, and the bottom of the mounting groove is transferred to the other side wall of the bottom of the mounting groove. It can discharge | emit through the formed locking groove, the other side locking piece part of a sealing material, and the clearance gap between locking plates, and can make said deformation | transformation easy.

As a result, it is possible to maintain a predetermined repulsive force, thereby preventing so-called metal touch where the metal parts come into contact with each other, preventing generation of particles, and obtaining a predetermined sealing force. .

According to the present invention, since the plurality of lip portions constituting the sealing surface are easily deformed, the surface pressure is increased, the sealing pressure is increased, and a predetermined sealing force is obtained with a low load (low tightening force). Can do.

Therefore, for example, in a vacuum gate valve used in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, etc., a sufficient sealing force can be obtained with a low load, and a reactive gas does not leak to the outside. A highly safe sealing material that can discharge the leaked gas to the outside from the exhaust hole of the exhaust path arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the part, and does not pollute the surrounding environment, and this sealing material A gate valve using can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a gate valve equipped with a sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the gate valve of FIG. 1 before tightening the sealing material. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of deformation when the seal material of the gate valve of FIG. 1 is tightened. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship (SS curve) between the compression amount and the compression reaction force of the sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a gate valve equipped with the sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the gate valve equipped with the sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the gate valve equipped with the sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a gate valve equipped with the sealing material of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional one-action type vacuum gate valve. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a sealing member of a conventional gate valve. FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view showing a sealing member of a conventional gate valve. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional vacuum sealing mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Gate valve 12 Valve box main body 14a Gate opening part 14b Gate opening part 16 Drive shaft 18 Valve body 18a Tip part 18b Base end part 20 Sealing material 22 Mounting groove 24 Locking plate 26 Bottom part 28 Base end part 28a Bottom part 30 Side wall 32 Side locking piece 32a Outer peripheral wall 32b Small protrusion 34 Side wall 36 Locking groove 38 Other side locking piece 38a Outer peripheral wall 38b Small protrusion 40 One side lip 42 The other side lip 44 Exhaust path 46 Exhaust hole 48 Locking Protrusion 50 Space 52 Protrusion 54 Central Lip 100 Vacuum Gate Valve 102 Valve Box Body 104a Gate Opening 104b Gate Opening 106 Drive Shaft 108 Valve Body 108a Tip 108b Base End 110 Sealing Material

110a Corner portion

110b Corner portion

110c Corner portion 110d Base end portion 110e Recess 112 Mounting groove 200 Vacuum seal mechanism 202 Inner peripheral side seal member 204 Outer peripheral side seal member 206 Discharge hole 208 Intermediate exhaust path B Center line C Center line D Center line d Diameter L Distance between lip S Separation distance W Opening width α angle β angle γ angle

Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gate valve equipped with the seal material of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view before tightening the seal material of the gate valve of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of deformation during tightening of the sealing material, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the compression amount and the compression reaction force of the sealing material of the present invention.

The sealing material 20 of the present invention is a substantially annular sealing material, and is used in a state in which a long and narrow annular sealing material is pushed open from both sides to the both sides from the position of the broken line, similarly to the conventional sealing material 110 shown in FIG. It is what is done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gate valve to which the sealing material of the present invention is attached is a gate valve 10 having a structure substantially similar to the conventional one-action type vacuum gate valve 100 shown in FIG. is there.

That is,

gate openings

14 a and 14 b are formed in the substantially box-shaped valve box body 12 so as to penetrate the valve box body 12. The drive shaft 16 is moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) in a direction crossing the

gate openings

14a and 14b.

The movement of the drive shaft 16 causes the substantially plate-shaped valve body 18 attached to the distal end portion of the drive shaft 16 to move away from and approach the valve seat formed on the valve box body 12, thereby opening the gate opening. The

parts

14a and 14b are configured to be opened or closed.

Note that a sealing material 20 is mounted in a mounting groove 22 having a groove shape at the distal end portion 18a and the proximal end portion 18b of the valve body 18, respectively.

As a result, when the valve body 18 moves in the direction of closing the

gate openings

14a and 14b via the drive shaft 16 and is seated on the valve seat formed in the valve box body 12, the sealing material 20 It is designed to be airtightly closed.

Such a vacuum gate valve 10 is incorporated in, for example, a semiconductor or a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, and is used with the gate opening 14a connected to the atmosphere side and the gate opening 14b connected to the decompression side.

1 to 3 below, the sealing material 20 mounted in the grooved mounting groove 22 of the base end portion 18b of the valve body 18 will be described.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the valve gate body 12 side of the vacuum gate valve 10 facing the seal material 20 mounted in the groove-shaped mounting groove 22 at the tip end 18 a of the valve body 18 is disposed on the valve body 12 side. An exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust passage 44 is disposed so as to be opened between the lip between the later-described one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 of the sealing material 20 of the mounting groove 22. Yes.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the valve box body 12 of the vacuum gate valve 10 is opposed to the seal material 20 mounted in the groove-shaped mounting groove 22 of the base end portion 18b of the valve body 18. Although the exhaust path 44 and the exhaust hole 46 are not disposed on the side, in the description of FIGS. 2 and 3, the case where the exhaust path 44 and the exhaust hole 46 are disposed will be described for convenience of explanation.

Thereby, for example, a harmful gas such as a reactive gas generated during film formation processing of a device such as sputtering or plasma etching of a semiconductor or a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus leaks, and the one-side lip portion 40 and Even when leaking between the lips between the lip portion 42 and the other side lip portion 42, the leaked harmful gas can be discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole of the exhaust path. It is configured so as not to contaminate the surrounding environment.

Further, as will be described later, the other side locking piece 38 of the sealing material 20 is placed in the locking groove 36 formed on the other side wall 34 side of the bottom 26 of the mounting groove 22, and the other side wall of the mounting groove 22. It is detachably mounted by being locked by a detachable locking plate 24 that forms 34, whereby the seal material can be easily mounted and replaced.

In addition, when the initial compressive load is exceeded, the base end portion 28 disposed away from the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22 has the one side locking piece portion 32 and the other side locking piece portion 38 as fulcrums. As shown in FIG. 3, it bends and deforms like a spring.

At this time, the gas in the space 50 formed by the base end portion 28, the one side locking piece portion 32, the other side locking piece portion 38, and the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22 is supplied to the bottom portion of the mounting groove 22. 26 can be discharged through the locking groove 36 formed on the other side wall 34 side, the other side locking piece portion 38 of the sealing material 20, and the clearance between the locking plates 24, and the above deformation can be achieved. Can be easily.

As a result, it is possible to maintain a predetermined repulsive force, thereby preventing so-called metal touch where the metal parts come into contact with each other, preventing generation of particles, and obtaining a predetermined sealing force. It is configured as follows.

1 to 3, the sealing material 20 of the present invention has a substantially M-shaped cross section.

That is, the sealing material 20 includes a base end portion 28 that is disposed apart from the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22, and extends downward from the base end portion 28 on the side of the one side wall 30. Thus, one side locking piece 32 that is locked to one side wall 30 of the mounting groove 22 is formed.

In this case, the outer peripheral wall portion 32 a of the one-side locking piece portion 32 has a shape complementary to the one side wall 30 of the dovetail-shaped mounting groove 22, whereby the sealing material 20 is removed from the mounting groove 22. It is designed to prevent falling out.

Further, a substantially triangular small protrusion 32b is formed at a substantially central portion of the outer peripheral wall portion 32a of the one-side locking piece portion 32, whereby the sealing material 20 further falls out of the mounting groove 22. Is to be prevented.

In addition, it extends in a substantially vertical direction below the other side wall 34 side of the mounting groove 22 from the base end portion 28, and in a locking groove 36 formed on the other side wall 34 side of the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22. The other side locking piece 38 to be locked is formed.

In addition, a substantially triangular small protrusion 38b is formed below the outer peripheral wall 38a of the other side locking piece 38, thereby further preventing the sealing material 20 from falling out of the mounting groove 22. It has come to be.

The small protrusions 32b and the small protrusions 38b do not need to be formed, and when formed, at least one may be formed. In addition, the shape, number, formation position, etc. of these small protrusions 32b and small protrusions 38b are not particularly limited, and may have any effect to prevent the above-described sealing material from falling off, for example, It can be rectangular, semicircular, or the like.

Further, two lip portions which are formed on the seal surface side of the base end portion 28 so as to spread outward from each other with a predetermined distance from each other, that is, with a substantially parabolic outline, that is, one side lip portion 40 and The other lip portion 42 is formed so as to project.

In addition, the front-end | tip part of these lip | rip

parts

40 and 42 forms R1 and R2 which are curvilinear R respectively.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the one-side lip portion 40 has an angle α between the center line B of the one-side lip portion 40 and the center line C of the sealing material 20 of α = 5 to 20 °. It is desirable that it is formed to be in the range.

That is, when the angle α is smaller than 5 °, the one-side lip portion 40 falls inward when compressed, and the inter-lip distance L between the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 after compression. Becomes narrower. For this reason, the exhaust hole may be blocked by the lip portion.

As a result, harmful gas such as reaction gas cannot be discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole of the exhaust path, which may contaminate the surrounding environment.

On the other hand, when the angle α is larger than 20 °, when compressed, the top portion of the one-side lip portion 40 is likely to be cramped, and problems such as a crack in the seal occur, resulting in a decrease in sealing performance. Because there is.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, in the other side lip portion 42, the angle β formed by the center line D of the other side lip portion 42 and the center line C of the sealing material 20 is in the range of β = 5 to 20 °. It is desirable to be formed so that

That is, when the angle β is smaller than 5 °, the other lip portion 42 falls inward when compressed, and the inter-lip distance L between the one lip portion 40 and the other lip portion 42 after compression is reduced. Becomes narrower. For this reason, the exhaust hole may be blocked by the lip portion.

On the other hand, when the angle β is larger than 20 °, the top of the other side lip portion 42 is likely to be crooked when compressed, and a problem such as a crack of the seal occurs, resulting in a decrease in sealing performance. Because there is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the thickness d1 of the one side lip 40 is between the center of the R1 portion at the tip of the one lip 40 and the center of the R2 portion of the tip of the other lip 42. It is desirable that d1 = L × (10 to 20)% with respect to the distance L between the lips. In the case of the sealing material 20 of this embodiment, d1 = L × about 13%.

Further, it is desirable that the thickness d1 of the one side lip portion 40 is γ = 20 to 30 ° with respect to the angle γ formed by the tangent of the parabola that forms the contour of the one side lip portion 40. In the case of the sealing material 20 of this embodiment, γ = about 27 °.

That is, if the thickness d1 of the one-side lip portion 40 is too small, the one-side lip portion 40 is likely to be bent, causing problems such as a crack in the seal, and the sealing performance may be lowered.

On the other hand, if the thickness d1 of the one side lip portion 40 is too large, the distance L between the lips described above is reduced during compression, and the exhaust hole 46 is formed by the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42. It may be blocked.

As a result, harmful gas such as reaction gas cannot be discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust path 44, which may contaminate the surrounding environment. is there.

Further, if the thickness d1 of the one side lip portion 40 is too large, the rigidity of the one side lip portion 40 is increased, the reaction force is increased, and the sealing performance is lowered.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the thickness d2 of the other lip portion 42 is between the center of the R1 portion at the tip of the one lip portion 40 and the center of the R2 portion at the tip of the other lip portion 42. It is desirable that d2 = L × (10 to 20)% with respect to the distance L between the lips. In the case of the sealing material 20 of this embodiment, d2 = L × about 13%.

Further, it is desirable that the thickness d2 of the other side lip portion 42 is δ = 20 to 30 ° with respect to the angle δ formed by the tangent of the parabola that forms the contour of the other side lip portion 42. In the case of the sealing material 20 of this embodiment, δ = about 27 °.

That is, if the thickness d2 of the other-side lip portion 42 is too small, the other-side lip portion 42 is likely to buckle, causing problems such as a crack in the seal, and the sealing performance may be reduced.

On the other hand, if the thickness d2 of the other side lip portion 42 is too large, the distance L between the lips described above is reduced during compression, and the exhaust hole 46 is formed by the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42. It may be blocked.

Also, if the thickness d2 of the other side lip portion 42 is too large, the rigidity of the other side lip portion 42 becomes large, the reaction force increases, and the sealing performance decreases.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, it is desirable that the sealing material 20 of the present invention is formed such that the distance L between the lip portions described above is smaller than the opening width W of the mounting groove 22.

That is, when the distance L between the lip portions is larger than the opening width W of the mounting groove 22, when the lip portion comes into pressure contact with the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion, the one lip portion 40 and the other lip portion The tip portion of 42 is deformed outward, but in this state, it contacts the corner portion of the mounting groove 22, and the lip portion of the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 constituting the sealing surface of the sealing material 20. Will be damaged and the sealing performance will be reduced.

On the other hand, if the distance L between the lip portions is smaller than the opening width W of the mounting groove 22 as in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, the one lip portion 40 and the other lip portion 42 are sealed portions. When the distal end portions of the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42 are deformed outward when pressed against the seal surface, the seal member 20 is not in contact with the corner portion of the mounting groove 22. Since the lip portions of the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 constituting the sealing surface are not damaged, the sealing performance is not deteriorated, and a constant sealing force can always be maintained.

In this case, the distance L between the lip portions is formed so that L ≦ 0.7 W with respect to the opening width W of the mounting groove 22 in order to exhibit the above-described effects more. desirable.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, the distance L between the lip portions described above where the exhaust holes 46 arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion are located is the exhaust hole 46. It is desirable that it is formed to be wider than the diameter d.

That is, when the exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust passage 44 is disposed on the seal material contact surface of the seal portion in order to discharge the leaked gas to the outside, the exhaust hole disposed on the seal material contact surface of the seal portion If the above-mentioned distance L between the lip portions where 46 is located is smaller than the diameter d of the exhaust hole 46, the exhaust hole 46 may be blocked by the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42.

As a result, harmful gas such as reaction gas cannot be discharged to the reaction gas processing system provided separately through the exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust passage 44, and there is a risk of polluting the surrounding environment.

On the other hand, like the sealing material 20 of the present invention, the distance L between the lip portions described above where the exhaust holes 46 arranged on the sealing material contact surface of the sealing portion are located is based on the diameter d of the exhaust holes. If it is wider, the exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust passage 44 disposed on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion can be positioned between the lip portions of the adjacent one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42.

Therefore, the exhaust hole 46 is not blocked by the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42, and as a result, harmful gases such as reactive gas are separately supplied through the exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust passage 44. Can be reliably discharged to the reaction gas treatment system provided in the above, and there is no possibility of polluting the surrounding environment.

In this case, the distance L between the lip portions described above is formed so that L ≧ 3d with respect to the diameter d of the exhaust hole 46 disposed on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion. It is desirable to achieve the effect that has been achieved.

Further, in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, it is desirable that the surface pressure of each lip portion located on the outermost side among the plurality of

lip portions

40 and 42 is formed so as to have a difference.

By configuring in this way, for example, in the gate valve, the seal surface pressure is larger in the other side lip portion 42 arranged on the atmospheric pressure side than in the one side lip portion 40 arranged on the vacuum side. This reliably prevents the reaction gas from flowing out to the atmosphere.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, the height H from the bottom 26 of the mounting groove 22 of the sealing material 20 to the top of the one side lip 40 and the other side lip 42 is mounted. This is preferably formed such that H / h = 1.15 to 1.40 with respect to the height h of the groove 22.

If there is a height H from the bottom 26 of the mounting groove 22 of the sealing material 20 to the top of the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42 in such a range, it is the same as that of a conventional O-ring or odd-shaped sealing material. Sealability can be secured.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, the separation distance S from the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22 to the bottom portion 28 a of the base end portion 28 is from the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22 of the sealing material 20. It is desirable that the height H of the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 is in the range of S / h = 0.2 to 0.4.

That is, the separation distance S from the bottom 26 of the mounting groove 22 to the bottom 28a of the base end 28 is high from the bottom 26 of the mounting groove 22 of the sealing material 20 to the top of the one side lip 40 and the other side lip 42. If the value of S / h with respect to the height H is smaller than 0.2, the compression reaction force of the seal is increased and the sealing performance is deteriorated.

On the other hand, if the value of S / h is larger than 0.4, the inward collapse of the one side lip 40 and the other lip 42 becomes large, and the one lip 40 and the other lip As a result, the exhaust hole 46 may be blocked by the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42.

On the other hand, as in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, the separation distance S from the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22 to the bottom portion 28a of the base end portion 28 is equal to the one side lip from the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22 of the sealing material 20. If the value of S / h is within the range of S / h = 0.2 to 0.4 with respect to the height H to the top of the lip portion 42 and the other portion 40, the compression reaction force of the seal is reduced. Can be made.

For example, as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, the compression reaction force of the conventional O-ring is about 5.0 N / mm, whereas in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, As shown, the compression reaction force is about 2.5 to 3.0 N / mm, almost half of the compression reaction force, the compression reaction force is appropriate, and the sealing performance is sufficient without reducing the sealing performance. Is obtained.

In addition, the exhaust hole 46 is not blocked by the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42, and a harmful gas such as a reactive gas is separately provided through the exhaust hole 46 of the exhaust passage 44. It can be discharged to the reaction gas treatment system and there is no risk of polluting the surrounding environment.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the sealing material 20 of the present invention, a substantially curved projecting portion 52 projecting toward the bottom 26 side of the mounting groove 22 is provided at the center portion of the bottom portion 28 a of the base end portion 28. Is formed.

With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, when the one lip portion 40 and the other lip portion 42 are in pressure contact with the seal surface of the seal portion, the projecting portion 52 is formed on the bottom portion 26 of the mounting groove 22. Abuts to increase the surface pressure of the lip, thereby improving the sealing performance.

In the description of FIGS. 1 to 3, the sealing material 20 mounted in the grooved mounting groove 22 of the base end portion 18b of the valve body 18 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. The sealing material 20 mounted in the groove-shaped mounting groove 22 of the distal end portion 18a of the body 18 is compared with the sealing material 20 mounted in the groove-shaped mounting groove 22 of the base end portion 18b of the valve body 18. Since the left and right are arranged in reverse, and the configuration is the same, detailed description thereof is omitted.

In this embodiment, the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 are formed so as to be line-symmetric with respect to the center line C of the sealing material 20. It is also possible to form the side lip portion 42 so as to have different shapes and formation positions.

In this embodiment, the tip portions of the one-side lip portion 40 and the other-side lip portion 42 are formed in a substantially curved shape. However, as shown in the partial enlarged sectional view of FIG. It is also possible to do.

Further, in this embodiment, the lip portion is formed from two lip portions, ie, the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42, but it is also possible to form the lip portion so as to have three or more lip portions. It is.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the sealing material 20 formed so as to have a plurality of lip portions, and in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 6, three lip portions.

That is, in the sealing material 20 of the embodiment of FIG. 6, the central lip portion 54 is formed so as to protrude between the one side lip portion 40 and the other side lip portion 42 of the base end portion 28, and the exhaust path 44. Two exhaust holes 46 are provided,
In the case of having such a plurality of lip portions of three or more, as shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust of the exhaust passage 44 disposed on the seal material contact surface of the seal portion among the plurality of lip portions. What is necessary is just to form so that the distance L between the adjacent lip | rip parts in which the hole 46 is located becomes larger than the diameter d of an exhaust hole.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the projecting portion 52 having a substantially curved shape is used. However, this shape is not particularly limited, and although not illustrated, it can be appropriately changed to a quadrangular shape, a triangular shape, etc. Although not shown, it is also possible to form irregularities at the tip as in the partially enlarged sectional view of FIG.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, one protruding portion 52 is formed at the central portion of the bottom portion 28a of the base end portion 28. However, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of protruding portions 52 (in FIG. In the embodiment, it is also possible to form three projecting portions 52).

As shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible to combine FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 so as to have a plurality of lip portions and a plurality of protruding portions 52.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the mounting groove 22 of the sealing material 20 is applied to the dovetail groove is shown, but the present invention can be effectively applied to mounting grooves and members of any other shape.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a locking protrusion 48 that protrudes inward is provided on the upper side of one side wall 30 of the mounting groove 22, and thereby, one locking piece of the sealing material 20. What is necessary is just to comprise so that 32 may be latched to the one side wall 30 of the mounting groove 22, and the sealing material 20 may be prevented from falling off.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the above embodiment, the one-action type used particularly in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus. Although the embodiment applied to this vacuum gate valve has been described, the use location is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a so-called two-action type vacuum gate valve.

Also, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus, the present invention can be applied to a vacuum gate valve of a load lock chamber in which decompression and release to the atmosphere are repeated.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the gate valve for vacuum, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention, such as the application of the sealing material of the present invention, as long as the sealability is required. is there.

Claims

A substantially annular sealing material mounted in the mounting groove of the seal portion,
The cross-sectional shape of the sealing material is
A proximal end portion spaced apart from the bottom of the mounting groove;
From the base end portion, one side locking piece portion that extends below one side wall side of the mounting groove and is locked to one side wall of the mounting groove;
From the base end portion, the other side locking piece portion that extends below the other side wall side of the mounting groove and is locked in the locking groove formed on the other side wall side of the mounting groove,
A plurality of lip portions formed on the sealing surface side of the base end portion so as to protrude at a predetermined interval from each other;
The distance L between the lip portions located on the outermost side among the plurality of lip portions is formed so as to be larger than the diameter d of the exhaust hole disposed on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion. Sealing material.
The distance L between the lip portions is formed such that L ≦ 0.7W with respect to the opening width W of the mounting groove, and the diameter d of the exhaust hole disposed on the sealing material contact surface of the seal portion In contrast, the sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the sealant is formed so that L ≧ 3d.
The sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the seal material is formed so that there is a difference in a surface pressure of each of the lip portions located on the outermost side among the plurality of lip portions.
The separation distance S from the bottom of the mounting groove to the bottom of the base end portion is S / h = 0.2 to 0.4 with respect to the height H from the bottom of the mounting groove of the sealing material to the top of the lip portion. It is formed so that it may become the range of these. The sealing material in any one of Claim 1 to 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The sealing material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a protruding portion that protrudes toward the bottom of the mounting groove is formed at the bottom of the base end.
6. The sealing material according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is a sealing material attached to a gate valve.
The sealing material according to claim 6 is provided in a mounting groove formed on the valve plate side of the gate valve.
While locking one side locking piece of the sealing material to one side wall of the mounting groove,
A gate valve which is detachably mounted by locking the other side locking piece of the seal material in a locking groove formed on the other side wall of the bottom of the mounting groove.
The other side locking piece of the sealing material is locked in a locking groove formed on the other side wall of the bottom of the mounting groove by a detachable locking plate that forms the other side wall of the mounting groove. The gate valve according to claim 7, wherein the gate valve is detachably mounted.