Fast and slow vacuumizing angle valve suitable for semiconductor industry

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of vacuum angle valves, in particular to a fast and slow vacuumizing angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry, which comprises a corrugated pipe, a valve body and a driving assembly, the center of the valve body is provided with a cavity in clearance fit with the appearance of the corrugated pipe, and the bottom and the side surface of the cavity are respectively provided with an air vent; a corrugated pipe lower flange is fixedly connected to the bottom of the corrugated pipe, and a radial hole communicated with the bottom of the corrugated pipe lower flange is formed in the corrugated pipe lower flange. According to the fast and slow vacuumizing angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry, through the series connection type air cylinder structural design, the two-way door opening motion of the valve is achieved, and the double flow guide function is achieved; meanwhile, the change of the overall size of the valve in the lifting motion process is avoided, so that the use space is reduced, and the product appearance is improved; through the design of a buffer structure in the opening and closing process of the valve, the impact problem of metal pieces in the door opening and closing process is avoided, mechanical particles are avoided, and the cleanliness of the valve is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of vacuum angle valves, and in particular to a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor industry, the chip production process has extremely high requirements for environmental cleanliness and vacuum. In particular, in the preparation process of the reaction chamber, it is necessary to periodically perform vacuum pumping and vacuum breaking operations. However, a series of problems will arise at the moment when the vacuum pump evacuates the chamber. On the one hand, due to the turbulent disturbance generated during the vacuum pumping process, it is easy to stimulate particles in the chamber to fall on the chip, thus posing a potential threat to the quality of the chip. On the other hand, due to the rapid change in pressure, condensation is easy to form, resulting in the formation of a small amount of water droplets, which will also have an adverse effect on the quality of the chip.

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, the valve installed between the chamber and the vacuum pump needs to have a slow pumping function to reduce the impact on the environment inside the chamber during the vacuum pumping process. However, the fast and slow pumping angle valves commonly used in the market currently have some shortcomings in design and use. These angle valves generally use springs to store energy, provide normal sealing, and through the fixation of the valve body and cylinder structure, rely on the air pressure input from different air inlets to make the spring perform two-stage compression, thereby opening the valve plate. However, this design will have an indicator extending when opening the door, resulting in an increase in the overall size of the valve, which is not conducive to the compact layout in semiconductor production equipment.

[0004] In addition, the current fast and slow angle valves usually adopt a double cylinder and double piston structure, but this structure has limitations in physical buffering and cannot completely eliminate the vibration and impact during the switching process. Long-term vibration and impact can easily damage the cylinder body, thus affecting the performance and life of the valve.

[0005] Therefore, a new type of fast and slow vacuum angle valve is needed, which can realize the soft opening and hard opening functions of the vacuum pipeline under the premise of ensuring that the overall height of the valve remains unchanged, and at the same time has excellent buffering and guiding design to reduce vibration and impact during the switching process and improve the stability and service life of the valve. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. The fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry realizes the bidirectional door opening movement of the valve and realizes the dual flow conductance function through the design of a series cylinder structure; at the same time, it avoids the change of the overall size of the valve during the lifting movement, thereby reducing the use space and increasing the appearance of the product; through the buffer structure design of the valve switching process, the impact problem of metal parts occurring during the door switching process is avoided, the generation of mechanical particles is avoided, and the cleanliness of the valve is improved; through a special positioning method, the coaxiality of the double cylinder structure is guaranteed, the compression of the double pistons is uniform, the wear of the sealing ring is reduced, and the service life of the valve is improved; all connections adopt detachable connections, which increases the maintainability of the valve and indirectly improves the service life of the valve.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows: A fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry, comprising a bellows, a valve body and a drive assembly, wherein a cavity is provided at the center of the valve body and the clearance matches the bellows shape, vents are provided at the bottom and sides of the cavity, a bellows lower flange is fixedly connected to the bottom of the bellows, and a radial hole communicating with the bottom is provided on the bellows lower flange; Under the action of the driving assembly, when the lower flange of the bellows is in close contact with the bottom of the cavity and the radial holes are blocked, the bottom vent of the cavity is not connected to the side vent; when the lower flange of the bellows is in close contact with the bottom of the cavity and the radial holes are connected to the bottom, the bottom vent of the cavity is connected to the side vent through the radial holes, reaching a soft-open door state; when the lower flange of the bellows is away from the bottom of the cavity, the bottom vent and the side vent of the cavity are connected to the bottom idle space of the air through the lower flange of the bellows, reaching a hard-open door state.

[0008] The driving assembly includes a cylinder body, a main piston, a cylinder head, an auxiliary piston and a core shaft. The cylinder body is fixedly connected to the top of the valve body. The main piston is airtightly arranged in the cylinder body. The cylinder head is airtightly fixedly connected to the bottom of the cylinder body. A SOFT air inlet and a PUMP air inlet are respectively arranged in the cylinder body. An auxiliary piston is airtightly slidably installed in the center of the cylinder head. An auxiliary spring is installed between the top of the auxiliary piston and the main piston. A main spring is installed between the cylinder head and the lower flange of the bellows. The top of the core shaft is fixedly connected to the main piston. After the core shaft passes through the auxiliary piston and the lower flange of the bellows in sequence, the bottom of the core shaft is arranged at the place where the bottom of the lower flange of the bellows is connected to the radial hole. When the bottom of the core shaft is tightly against the bottom of the lower flange of the bellows, the bottom of the lower flange of the bellows is not connected to the radial hole. When in the normally closed state, the pre-compression force provided by the main spring and the auxiliary spring respectively makes the lower flange of the bellows close to the bottom of the cavity and the radial holes are blocked; when the soft pumping function needs to be opened, the SOFT air inlet is ventilated, the main piston compresses the auxiliary spring to move downward, the auxiliary piston remains stationary, and the main piston moves the core shaft downward, so that the core shaft in the normal state is separated from the lower flange of the bellows, and the two air vents at the bottom and side of the cavity are in a conducting state through the radial holes of the lower flange of the bellows, reaching the soft door opening state; when the hard pumping function needs to be opened, the PUMP air inlet is ventilated, the main piston will move upward with the core shaft, the lower flange of the bellows, and the auxiliary piston, compressing the main spring and the bellows, so that the lower flange of the bellows is separated from the valve body, and the two air vents at the bottom and side of the cavity are directly connected, reaching the hard door opening state.

[0009] The upper part of the bellows is fixedly connected with a bellows upper flange, and the bellows upper flange is fixedly connected to the top of the valve body in an airtight manner.

[0010] An O-ring is installed between the core shaft and the lower flange of the bellows, and the O-ring is arranged above the radial hole.

[0011] The cylinder head is installed in the cylinder body in an airtight manner and is fixedly connected to the cylinder body through a retaining spring.

[0012] The SOFT air inlet is arranged at the uppermost end of the cylinder body, and the PUMP air inlet is arranged between the main piston and the cylinder head.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. The present invention discloses a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. The fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry realizes two-way door opening movement of the valve through a series cylinder structure design, namely, two states of soft door opening and hard door opening; in the soft door opening state, the vent is connected through the radial holes of the lower flange of the bellows; in the hard door opening state, the vent is directly connected through the gap between the lower flange of the bellows and the valve body; both states are achieved without changing the overall height of the valve, thereby reducing the use space and increasing the appearance and applicability of the product.

[0014] 2. The present invention discloses a fast or slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. The fast or slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry effectively avoids the vibration and impact problems of the valve during the opening and closing process through the buffering and guiding structure design; the coordinated movement of the main piston and the auxiliary piston, and the pre-compression force of the main spring and the auxiliary spring together constitute a buffer mechanism during the valve opening and closing process; it not only reduces the direct impact of metal parts, but also avoids the generation of mechanical particles, thereby improving the cleanliness and service life of the valve.

[0015] 3. The present invention discloses a fast or slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. The fast or slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry ensures the coaxiality of the double cylinder structure through a special positioning method, such as the cylinder head provides a coaxial limit for the auxiliary piston, and the auxiliary piston provides a coaxial limit for the core shaft, etc.; the compression of the double pistons is uniform, thereby reducing the wear of the sealing ring and further improving the service life and sealing performance of the valve.

[0016] 4. The present invention discloses a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. All connections of the fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry adopt detachable connections. For example, static sealing is achieved between the cylinder body and the valve body by tightening the flange on the bellows and screws, and the cylinder cover is fixed to the cylinder body by a retaining spring, etc.; it not only facilitates the assembly and disassembly of the valve, but also improves the maintainability of the valve, making it more convenient and quicker for users to repair or replace parts.

[0017] 5. The present invention discloses a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry. The fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry is particularly suitable for the semiconductor industry. The design of the high-vacuum fast and slow pneumatic angle valve meets the needs of periodic vacuuming and breaking the vacuum in the reaction chamber when preparing chips; by precisely controlling the switching speed and ventilation volume of the valve, the occurrence of turbulent disturbance and condensation is effectively reduced, thereby improving the production quality and efficiency of the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] By reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below, the scheme and advantages of the present application will become clear to those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiment and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.

[0019] In the attached picture: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional appearance of a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the explosion structure of a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to an embodiment of the present invention (the valve body is not shown); Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a fast and slow vacuum angle valve applicable to the semiconductor industry in a normally closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a fast and slow vacuum angle valve applicable to the semiconductor industry in an embodiment of the present invention when the main valve plate is closed and the auxiliary valve plate is open; Figure 6It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a fast and slow vacuum angle valve applicable to the semiconductor industry in an embodiment of the present invention when the main valve plate is open and the auxiliary valve plate is closed; The components represented by the reference numerals in the figure are: The present invention comprises: 1. a cylinder body, 2. a main piston, 3. an auxiliary spring, 4. a cylinder cover, 5. an auxiliary piston, 6. a main spring, 7. a bellows, 8. a core shaft, and 9. a valve body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry mainly includes a bellows 7, a valve body 9 and a drive assembly.

[0021] A cavity is provided at the center of the valve body 9, the shape of which matches the shape of the bellows 7, and a clearance is maintained between the two to ensure smoothness and sealing during movement. Vents are provided at the bottom and sides of the cavity for connecting external equipment such as the reaction chamber and a vacuum pump.

[0022] The bottom of the bellows 7 is fixedly connected with a bellows lower flange, and the flange is provided with a radial hole communicating with the bottom. This radial hole will play a key role in different working states of the valve.

[0023] The driving assembly is the core part of the angle valve, which includes the cylinder body 1, the main piston 2, the cylinder head 4, the auxiliary piston 5 and the core shaft 8. The cylinder body 1 is fixedly connected to the top of the valve body 9 to form a closed pneumatic system. The main piston 2 is airtightly arranged in the cylinder body 1 to receive the pneumatic signal and generate corresponding movement. The cylinder head 4 is airtightly installed at the bottom of the cylinder body 1 and is fixedly connected to the cylinder body 1 through a retaining spring to ensure the sealing of the system.

[0024] The cylinder body 1 is provided with a SOFT air inlet and a PUMP air inlet for receiving different pneumatic signals and controlling the opening and closing states of the valves. The SOFT air inlet is located at the top of the cylinder body 1, while the PUMP air inlet is provided between the main piston 2 and the cylinder head 4.

[0025] An auxiliary piston 5 is slidably mounted in the center of the cylinder head 4 in an airtight manner to assist the movement of the main piston 2 and increase the stability of the system. An auxiliary spring 3 is mounted between the top of the auxiliary piston 5 and the main piston 2 to provide pre-compression force and absorb impact during movement. A main spring 6 is mounted between the cylinder head 4 and the lower flange of the bellows to also provide pre-compression force and ensure the initial closed state of the valve.

[0026] The top of the mandrel 8 is fixedly connected to the main piston 2 to form an integral motion unit. After the mandrel 8 passes through the auxiliary piston 5 and the bellows lower flange in sequence, its bottom is set at the place where the bottom of the bellows lower flange communicates with the radial hole. When the bottom of the mandrel 8 is tightly attached to the bottom of the bellows lower flange, the bottom of the bellows lower flange is not connected to the radial hole, and the valve is in a closed state.

[0027] In addition, in order to increase the sealing and stability of the system, a bellows upper flange is fixedly connected to the upper part of the bellows 7, and is airtightly fixedly connected to the top of the valve body 9 by means of screws or the like. At the same time, an O-ring is installed between the core shaft 8 and the bellows lower flange to ensure the sealing between the two and prevent gas leakage. The O-ring is arranged above the radial hole to prevent it from affecting the communication state of the radial hole.

[0028] like Figures 4 to 6 As shown, the working principle of the fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry is: Normally closed state: In the initial state, the pre-compression force provided by the main spring 6 and the auxiliary spring 3 respectively makes the lower flange of the bellows close to the bottom of the cavity and the radial holes are blocked. At this time, the bottom vent of the cavity is not connected to the side vent, and the valve is in a closed state.

[0029] Soft-opening state: When the soft-pumping function needs to be turned on, ventilate the SOFT air inlet. At this time, the main piston 2 compresses the auxiliary spring 3 under the action of the pneumatic signal and moves downward, while the auxiliary piston 5 remains stationary due to the rigid limit. The movement of the main piston 2 drives the core shaft 8 to move downward, so that the core shaft 8 under normal conditions is separated from or a gap is generated between the lower flange of the bellows. At this time, the bottom vent and the side vent of the cavity form a conductive state through the radial holes of the lower flange of the bellows and the gap between the core shaft 8 and the lower flange of the bellows, reaching the soft-opening state.

[0030] Hard-open state: When the hard pumping function needs to be turned on, ventilate the PUMP air inlet. At this time, the main piston 2 will move upward together with the core shaft 8, the lower flange of the bellows, and the auxiliary piston 5 under the action of the pneumatic signal. In this process, the main spring 6 is further compressed, and the bellows 7 is also stretched. As the lower flange of the bellows gradually separates from the bottom of the cavity of the valve body 9, the bottom vent of the cavity is directly connected to the side vent, reaching the hard-open state.

[0031] In a specific embodiment: The high vacuum pneumatic angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry is mainly composed of a valve fixing mechanism, a drive assembly, a guide assembly and a connector. Specifically, it is mainly composed of a cylinder body 1, a main piston 2, an auxiliary spring 3, a cylinder head 4, an auxiliary piston 5, a main spring 6, a bellows 7, a core shaft 8 and a valve body 9.

[0032] The valve fixing mechanism is mainly composed of a cylinder body 1, a cylinder head 4, a valve body 9, and an upper flange of a bellows 7. The cylinder body 1 and the valve body 9 are connected by the upper flange of the bellows, and the bellows upper flange is tightened by screws to compress the O-ring to achieve static sealing; the cylinder head 4 is installed in the cylinder body 1, and the radial sealing of the cylinder is achieved by compressing the O-ring, and the cylinder head 4 is fixed by a retaining ring.

[0033] The driving assembly is composed of the main piston 2, the auxiliary spring 3, the auxiliary piston 5, the main spring 6, the bellows 7, the lower flange of the bellows, and the core shaft 8. The valve is in a normally closed state, and the auxiliary spring 3 provides a pre-compression force, so that the core shaft 8 compresses the O-ring at the lower flange of the bellows 7 to achieve the sealing of the auxiliary valve plate; the main spring 6 provides a pre-compression force, so that the O-ring at the lower flange of the bellows 7 and the valve body are compressed to achieve the sealing of the main valve plate; when the SOFT air port is ventilated, the main piston 2 moves downward, the auxiliary piston 5 remains stationary, and the auxiliary spring 3 is further compressed, so that the core shaft 8 is separated from the lower flange of the bellows 7, and the valve soft opening is achieved. When the PUMP air port is ventilated, the main piston 2 moves upward, driving the core shaft 8, the lower flange of the bellows 7, and the auxiliary piston 5 to move upward, and the main spring 6 and the bellows 7 are further compressed, so that the lower flange of the bellows 7 is separated from the sealing surface of the valve body, and the valve hard opening is achieved.

[0034] The guide assembly consists of a cylinder head 4, an auxiliary piston 5 and a related guide sleeve, wherein the cylinder head 4 provides a coaxial limit for the auxiliary piston 5, and the auxiliary piston 5 provides a coaxial limit for the core shaft 8. Through the two coaxial limiters, the cylinder wall and the piston are ensured to be coaxial, ensuring the uniformity of the compression of the O-ring on the piston. Specific implementation steps

[0035] 1. The valve is in the normally closed state. According to the pre-compression force provided by the main spring and the auxiliary spring respectively, the main valve plate and the auxiliary valve plate are both in the closed state; 2. When the soft pumping function needs to be turned on, the air is ventilated to the SOFT air inlet. At this time, the main piston will further compress the auxiliary spring and move downward. However, due to the rigid limit, the auxiliary piston remains stationary, so the main piston will cause the core shaft to move downward, so that the core shaft under normal conditions is separated from the lower flange of the bellows. At this time, the two ports of the angle valve can form a conducting state through the radial holes of the lower flange of the bellows, achieving the soft door opening state; 3. When the hard pumping function needs to be turned on, ventilate the PUMP air inlet. At this time, the main piston will move upward with the core shaft, the lower flange of the bellows, and the auxiliary piston. This process will further compress the main spring and the bellows, causing the lower flange of the bellows to separate from the valve body. At this time, the two ports of the angle valve are directly connected to achieve the hard door opening state.

[0036] This fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry realizes the bidirectional door opening movement of the valve and the dual flow conductance function through the series cylinder structure design; at the same time, it avoids the change of the overall size of the valve during the lifting movement, thereby reducing the use space and increasing the product appearance; through the buffer structure design of the valve opening and closing process, it avoids the impact problem of metal parts in the process of opening and closing the door, avoids the generation of mechanical particles, and improves the cleanliness of the valve; through a special positioning method, the coaxiality of the double cylinder structure is guaranteed, the compression of the double pistons is uniform, and the wear of the sealing ring is reduced, thereby increasing the service life of the valve; all connections are detachable, which increases the maintainability of the valve and indirectly increases the service life of the valve.

Claims

1. A fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry, characterized in that: It comprises a bellows (7), a valve body (9) and a drive assembly, wherein a cavity is provided at the center of the valve body (9) and has a clearance matching the outer shape of the bellows (7), vents are provided at the bottom and sides of the cavity respectively, a bellows lower flange is fixedly connected to the bottom of the bellows (7), and a radial hole communicating with the bottom is provided on the bellows lower flange; Under the action of the driving assembly, when the lower flange of the bellows is in close contact with the bottom of the cavity and the radial holes are blocked, the bottom vent of the cavity is not connected to the side vent; when the lower flange of the bellows is in close contact with the bottom of the cavity and the radial holes are connected to the bottom, the bottom vent of the cavity is connected to the side vent through the radial holes, reaching a soft-open door state; when the lower flange of the bellows is away from the bottom of the cavity, the bottom vent and the side vent of the cavity are connected to the bottom idle space of the air through the lower flange of the bellows, reaching a hard-open door state.

2. A fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly comprises a cylinder body (1), a main piston (2), a cylinder head (4), an auxiliary piston (5) and a core shaft (8); the cylinder body (1) is fixedly connected to the top of a valve body (9); the main piston (2) is airtightly arranged in the cylinder body (1); the cylinder head (4) is airtightly fixedly connected to the bottom of the cylinder body (1); a SOFT air inlet and a PUMP air inlet are respectively arranged in the cylinder body (1); and the auxiliary piston (5) is airtightly slidably mounted in the center of the cylinder head (4). An auxiliary spring (3) is installed between the top of the auxiliary piston (5) and the main piston (2), a main spring (6) is installed between the cylinder head (4) and the lower flange of the bellows, the top of the core shaft (8) is fixedly connected to the main piston (2), the core shaft (8) passes through the auxiliary piston (5) and the lower flange of the bellows in sequence, and the bottom of the core shaft (8) is arranged at the position where the bottom of the lower flange of the bellows communicates with the radial hole, and when the bottom of the core shaft (8) is tightly attached to the bottom of the lower flange of the bellows, the bottom of the lower flange of the bellows is not connected to the radial hole; When in the normally closed state, the pre-compression force provided by the main spring (6) and the auxiliary spring (3) respectively causes the lower flange of the bellows to be in close contact with the bottom of the cavity and the radial hole to be blocked; When the soft pumping function needs to be turned on, the SOFT air inlet is ventilated, the main piston (2) compresses the auxiliary spring (3) and moves downward, the auxiliary piston (5) remains stationary, and the main piston (2) moves the core shaft (8) downward, so that the core shaft (8) in the normal state is separated from the lower flange of the bellows, and the two air vents at the bottom and side of the cavity are connected through the radial holes of the lower flange of the bellows, thereby achieving a soft door opening state; when the hard pumping function needs to be turned on, the PUMP air inlet is ventilated, the main piston (2) will move upward with the core shaft (8), the lower flange of the bellows, and the auxiliary piston (5), (6) compressing the main spring and the bellows (7), so that the lower flange of the bellows is separated from the valve body (9), and the two air vents at the bottom and side of the cavity are directly connected, thereby achieving a hard door opening state.

3. A fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper portion of the bellows (7) is fixedly connected to a bellows upper flange, and the bellows upper flange is fixedly connected to the top of the valve body (9) in an airtight manner.

4. A fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to claim 2, characterized in that: An O-ring is installed between the core shaft (8) and the lower flange of the bellows, and the O-ring is arranged above the radial hole.

5. The fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cylinder head (4) is airtightly mounted in the cylinder body (1) and is fixedly connected to the cylinder body (1) via a retaining spring.

6. The fast and slow vacuum angle valve suitable for the semiconductor industry according to claim 2, characterized in that: The SOFT air inlet is arranged at the uppermost end of the cylinder body (1), and the PUMP air inlet is arranged between the main piston (2) and the cylinder head (4).

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