Method for regenerating cryopump

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for regenerating a cryopump, the cryopump comprising: a refrigerator provided with a first stage part and a second stage part which is cooled to a lower temperature than the first stage part; a cryopanel including a first-stage panel that is cooled by the first-stage stage and includes a heat insulator and a partition plate, and a second-stage panel that is cooled by the second-stage stage; a cryopump container surrounding the cryopanel; a first heater provided on the first stage part; and a second heater provided in the second stage unit, the method for regenerating the cryopump comprising: a temperature raising step for raising the temperature of the first stage unit and the second stage unit by supplying a purge gas into the cryopump container during operation of the refrigerator; a rough extraction step in which the gas collected in the cryopump container is discharged so that the cryopump container has a predetermined pressure; and a temperature reduction step of reducing the temperature of each of the first stage part and the second stage part to an operating temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a regeneration method for a cryogenic pump. Background Art

[0002] Ultra-low temperature cooling is widely used in various industrial fields such as semiconductor manufacturing and testing. Here, ultra-low temperature can refer to temperatures below -200 degrees. The cooling process used to obtain ultra-low temperatures generally uses a compressor, a condenser, an expander, and an evaporator. The refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator to create an ultra-low temperature environment.

[0003] Regarding this technology of constructing an ultra-low temperature environment, Korean Patent Publication No. 2020-0079062, which is a prior art, discloses an ultra-low temperature refrigerator.

[0004] In order to construct an ultra-low temperature environment, a GM (Gifford-McMahon) refrigerator, which is a refrigerator for a high vacuum cryopump, is mainly used.

[0005] As a capture pump, the cryopump cannot pump more than the specified capacity. After being used in the cooling process, the regeneration process must be performed periodically. The regeneration process refers to the process of desorbing and evaporating the moisture and gas adsorbed, condensed, and solidified on the cryopanel of the cryopump to restore the suction capacity. The regeneration process generally consists of a warm-up process, a purge process, a roughing process, and a cool-down process. As the regeneration process is performed periodically, it becomes a factor that reduces production efficiency. Therefore, a method for efficiently performing the regeneration process is required. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The present invention provides the following method for regenerating a cryopump: during the operation of a refrigerator, a purge gas is supplied into a cryopump container to raise the temperatures of a first stage and a second stage, and the gas trapped in the cryopump container is discharged to make the cryopump container reach a preset pressure, thereby lowering the temperatures of the first stage and the second stage to the operating temperature.

[0008] However, the technical problems to be solved by this embodiment are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and there may be other technical problems.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] As a means for solving the above-mentioned technical problems, one embodiment of the present invention can provide a regeneration method for a cryogenic pump, which comprises: a refrigerator having a first stage and a second stage cooled to a lower temperature than the first stage; a cryogenic panel, comprising a first panel including an insulator and a partition cooled by the first stage, and a second panel cooled by the second stage; a cryogenic pump container surrounding the cryogenic panel; a first heater disposed on the first stage; and a second heater disposed on the second stage, wherein the regeneration method for the cryogenic pump comprises: a heating process step of supplying a purge gas into the cryogenic pump container during the operation of the refrigerator to heat the first stage and the second stage; a rough pumping process step of discharging the gas captured in the cryogenic pump container to make the cryogenic pump container reach a preset pressure; and a cooling process step of reducing the temperature of each of the first stage and the second stage to the operating temperature.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the temperature increasing process may include: increasing the temperature of the secondary stage to a temperature higher than that of the primary stage.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the temperature increasing process may include: using the first heater to increase the temperature of the first stage to 120K to 160K; and using the second heater to increase the temperature of the second stage to 130K to 170K.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the rough pumping process may include: a step of turning off the first heater when the temperature of the first stage reaches a set first temperature; and a step of discharging the gas captured in the cryopump container when the first heater is turned off.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the rough extraction process may include: a step of discharging the moisture captured by the first stage; and a step of discharging at least one of hydrogen, helium, neon, argon, nitrogen and oxygen captured by the second stage.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the rough pumping process may include: when the cryopump container reaches the preset pressure, turning off the second heater.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the preset pressure may be 5 to 15.2 Torr.

[0017] The above-mentioned means for solving the problems are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the above-mentioned illustrative embodiments, there may be additional embodiments described in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention.

[0018] Effects of the Invention

[0019] According to any one of the above-mentioned means for solving the problems of the present invention, the following method for regenerating a cryopump can be provided: during the operation of the refrigerator, a purge gas is supplied into the cryopump container to increase the temperatures of the first stage and the second stage to different degrees, thereby activating the gas captured in the cryopump container.

[0020] The following cryopump regeneration method can be provided: exhausting the gas captured in the cryopump container to make the cryopump container reach a preset pressure, exhausting at least one of the hydrogen, helium, and neon gases captured by the first stage, and exhausting at least one of the argon, nitrogen, and oxygen gases captured by the second stage.

[0021] A cryopump regeneration method can be provided in which, after the temperature of each of the primary stage and the secondary stage is lowered to the operating temperature to complete the regeneration process, a cooling process is performed subsequent to the regeneration process.

[0022] A cryopump regeneration method can be provided for regenerating the cryopump by using either the complete regeneration method or the rapid regeneration method in a regeneration process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is an illustrative diagram showing a cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a sequence diagram of a regeneration method performed in a cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is an example diagram showing a temperature range graph of the gas captured in each of the primary stage and the secondary stage according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 This is an exemplary diagram for explaining a process of discharging gas captured by the primary stage and the secondary stage in a rough pumping process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted in the accompanying drawings, and similar parts are marked with similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0028] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case of "direct connection" but also the case of "electrical connection" with other elements interposed therebetween. In addition, when a part is described as "including" a certain constituent element, unless otherwise specifically described, it means that other constituent elements are not excluded and other constituent elements can be further included, and it should be understood that the existence or additional possibility of one or more other features or numbers, steps, actions, constituent elements, partial components or combinations thereof is not excluded in advance.

[0029] In this specification, "unit" includes a unit implemented by hardware, a unit implemented by software, and a unit implemented by both. In addition, one unit may be implemented by two or more hardware, or two or more units may be implemented by one unit.

[0030] In this specification, a part of the actions or functions performed by a terminal or device can also be performed in a server connected to the terminal or device instead. Similarly, a part of the actions or functions performed by a server can also be performed in a terminal or device connected to the server.

[0031] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The cryopump 100 may include a refrigerator 110, a primary stage 111, a secondary stage 112, a cryopump container 120, an insulator 121, a secondary panel 122, a partition 123, a first heater 130, and a second heater 131. The cryopump 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a GM (Gifford-McMahon) refrigerator having the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112.

[0033] The refrigerator 110 may include a primary stage 111 and a secondary stage 112 cooled to a lower temperature than the primary stage 111. Here, the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 may construct an ultra-low temperature environment by utilizing the cooling principle that the displacer moves back and forth in the chamber to expand the internal He gas.

[0034] The cryopump housing 120 can surround the cryopanel. Here, the cryopanel can include a primary panel having an insulator 121 and a partition 123 and a secondary panel 122. The insulator 121 and the partition 123 can be cooled by the primary stage 111, and the secondary panel 122 can be cooled by the secondary stage 112.

[0035] The cryopanel can capture gas in the cryopump container 120. For example, the insulator 121 and the partition 123 can capture water through the primary stage 111, and the secondary panel 122 can capture argon, nitrogen, and oxygen through the secondary stage 112, and can capture hydrogen, helium, and neon in the activated carbon of the secondary stage 112.

[0036] The first heater 130 is provided at the primary stage 111 and can increase the temperature of the primary stage 111 .

[0037] The second heater 131 is provided on the secondary stage 112 and can increase the temperature of the secondary stage 112 .

[0038] Figure 2 This is a sequence diagram of a regeneration method performed in a cryopump according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The regeneration method of the cryopump 100 shown in the cryopump 100 includes: Figure 1 Therefore, even if the following contents are omitted, they are also applicable to the embodiments based on Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment shows a method for regenerating the cryopump 100 performed in the cryopump 100 .

[0039] According to an embodiment, the cryopump 100 can perform quick regeneration. Here, quick regeneration may mean a method of quickly regenerating the secondary array corresponding to the secondary panel 122 by raising the temperature to 150K to 200K in the cryopump 100 in an ultra-low temperature state.

[0040] A method of performing rapid regeneration of the cryopump 100 will be described below.

[0041] In step S210, the cryopump 100 can supply a purge gas into the cryopump housing 120 during the operation of the refrigerator 110 to increase the temperature of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112. For example, the cryopump 100 can perform a purge process of injecting an inert gas or the like into a container or tank containing flammable vapor or gas so that the container or tank cannot maintain a flammable atmosphere during the temperature increase process of increasing the temperature of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112.

[0042] Here, the cryopump 100 can raise the temperature of the secondary stage 112 to a higher temperature than the primary stage 111. For example, the cryopump 100 can raise the temperature of the primary stage 111 to 120K to 160K using the first heater 130, and can raise the temperature of the secondary stage 112 to 130K to 170K using the second heater 131.

[0043] This is to activate the gases trapped in the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 respectively when the cryopump 100 performs rapid regeneration, thereby raising the temperatures of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112. Figure 3 The gases collected in the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 will be described.

[0044] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is an example diagram showing a temperature range graph of the gas captured in the primary stage and the secondary stage, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 The gas temperature range graph can represent a temperature range in which at least one gas is captured according to “horizontal axis: temperature” 300 and “vertical axis: vapor pressure” 310 .

[0045] For example, the cryopump 100 can capture water 340 at a temperature of 40K to 100K through the heat insulator 121 cooled by the primary stage 111 .

[0046] According to another example, the cryopump 100 is capable of capturing first gases 320 such as hydrogen, helium, neon, and second gases 330 such as argon, nitrogen, and oxygen at a temperature of 10K to 20K through a secondary array equivalent to a secondary panel cooled by a secondary stage 112.

[0047] According to another example, the cryopump 100 can also collect liquid 340 such as water at a temperature of 100K to 200K through the baffle 123 .

[0048] When the cryopump 100 performs the regeneration process in a rapid process, in order to activate the specific gas, the temperature range can be determined by the temperature coefficient as the activation range of the specific gas. To this end, the cryopump 100 can heat up the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112, and can heat up the secondary stage 112 to a higher temperature than the primary stage 111. Here, the temperature range can be determined based on the temperature coefficient of the range in which the gas captured in the insulator 121, the secondary panel 122, and the partition 123 can be discharged after activation.

[0049] Back again Figure 2In step S220 , the cryopump 100 can discharge the gas trapped in the cryopump housing so that the cryopump housing 120 reaches a preset pressure.

[0050] When the temperature of the primary stage 111 reaches a set first temperature ( T1 ), the cryopump 100 turns off the first heater 130 . When the first heater 130 is turned off, the gas trapped in the cryopump housing 120 can be exhausted.

[0051] Here, the reason for turning off the first heater 130 is that, during the operation of the refrigerator 110, the temperature of the first stage 111 is increased to a preset first temperature (T1) and the temperature of the second stage 112 is increased to a preset second temperature (T2) through a heating process. At the same time, by using the first heater 130 and the second heater 131, there is a deviation between the time when the temperature of the first stage 111 reaches the preset first temperature (T1) and the time when the temperature of the second stage 112 reaches the preset second temperature (T2). The preset second temperature (T2) is closer to normal temperature than the preset first temperature (T1). Therefore, the preset second temperature (T2) is maintained and when the preset first temperature (T1) is reached, the first heater 130 is turned off and the rough pumping process is performed.

[0052] Afterwards, when the cryopump container 120 reaches a preset pressure, the cryopump 100 can turn off the second heater 131. Here, the preset pressure can be 5 to 15.2 Torr. Figure 4 Provide detailed explanation.

[0053] Figure 4 This is an exemplary diagram for explaining a process of discharging gas captured by the primary stage and the secondary stage in a rough pumping process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Reference Figure 4 The cryopump 100 can discharge water 430 captured by the first stage 111 and at least one of hydrogen, helium, neon, argon, nitrogen and oxygen 420 captured by the second stage 112.

[0055] In addition, the cryopump 100 can also discharge water 430 collected by the partition plate 123 .

[0056] Back again Figure 2In step S230, the cryopump 100 can lower the temperature of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 to the operating temperature. For example, the cryopump 100 can lower the temperature of the primary stage 111 to below 100K and the temperature of the secondary stage 112 to below 20K.

[0057] According to another embodiment, the cryopump 100 can perform full regeneration. Here, full regeneration may mean a method of performing a purge process for a predetermined period of time to perform regeneration after the primary panels 121, 123 and the secondary panels 122 in the cryopump 100 in an ultra-low temperature state are heated to a temperature above room temperature.

[0058] A method of performing the complete regeneration of the cryopump 100 will be described below.

[0059] In step S210 , the cryopump 100 can supply a purge gas into the cryopump housing 120 to increase the temperatures of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 while the refrigerator 110 is operating.

[0060] For example, the cryopump 100 can raise the temperatures of both the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 to 300 K. At this time, the cryopump 100 can extend the purge process. In step S210, the cryopump 100 can perform a purge process of injecting an inert gas or the like into a container or tank containing flammable vapor or gas so that the container or tank cannot maintain a flammable atmosphere during the temperature raising process of raising the temperatures of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112.

[0061] In step S220, the cryopump 100 can discharge the gas trapped in the cryopump housing to make the cryopump housing 120 reach a preset pressure. At this time, the cryopump 100 determines whether an additional purge process is required, and can perform the purge process again according to the determination result.

[0062] In step S230 , the cryopump 100 can lower the temperature of the primary stage 111 and the secondary stage 112 to the operating temperature. For example, the cryopump 100 can lower the temperature of the primary stage 111 to below 100K and the temperature of the secondary stage 112 to below 20K.

[0063] Through such a process, the cryopump 100 can perform a cooling process after completing the regeneration process.

[0064] In the above description, steps S210 to S230 can be further divided into more steps or combined into fewer steps according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, some steps can be omitted as needed, and the order of the steps can be changed.

[0065] pass Figures 1 to 4 The cryopump regeneration method described above and executed in the cryopump may also be implemented in the form of a computer program stored in a medium and executed by a computer or a recording medium containing instructions executable by a computer. Figures 1 to 4 The cryopump regeneration method described above and executed in the cryopump may also be realized in the form of a computer program stored in a medium and executed by a computer.

[0066] Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer, including all volatile and nonvolatile media, separable and non-separable media. In addition, computer readable media can include computer storage media. Computer storage media includes all volatile and nonvolatile, separable and non-separable media implemented by any method or technology for storing information such as computer readable commands, data structures, program modules or other data.

[0067] It should be understood that the above description of the present invention is for illustration, and those skilled in the art can easily transform into other specific modes without changing the technical ideas or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative and non-limiting in all aspects. For example, each component described in a single form can also be implemented in a dispersed manner, and the components described in a dispersed form can also be implemented in a combined manner.

[0068] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the detailed description above, and it should be construed that all changes and modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for regenerating a cryopump, the cryopump comprising: A refrigerator having a primary stage and a secondary stage cooled to a lower temperature than the primary stage; A cryopanel, comprising a primary panel including an insulator and a partition cooled by the primary stage and a secondary panel cooled by the secondary stage; a cryopump container surrounding the cryopanel; a first heater disposed on the primary stage; and a second heater disposed on the secondary stage, wherein the regeneration method of the cryopump comprises: a temperature raising process step of supplying a purge gas into the cryopump housing to raise the temperatures of the primary stage and the secondary stage during operation of the refrigerator; a rough pumping step of exhausting the gas trapped in the cryopump housing to bring the cryopump housing to a preset pressure; and A cooling process step is performed to reduce the temperature of each of the primary stage and the secondary stage to an operating temperature.

2. The cryopump regeneration method according to claim 1, wherein: The heating process comprises: The step of raising the temperature of the secondary stage to a temperature higher than that of the primary stage.

3. The cryopump regeneration method according to claim 2, wherein: The heating process comprises: The step of using the first heater to raise the temperature of the first stage portion to 120K to 160K; and The step of increasing the temperature of the secondary stage to 130K to 170K by using the second heater.

4. The cryopump regeneration method according to claim 1, wherein: The rough extraction process comprises: When the temperature of the first stage reaches a set first temperature, turning off the first heater; and A step of discharging the gas trapped in the cryopump housing when the first heater is turned off.

5. The cryopump regeneration method according to claim 1, wherein: The rough extraction process comprises: a step of discharging the moisture captured by the primary stage; and A step of discharging at least one of hydrogen, helium, neon, argon, nitrogen and oxygen captured by the secondary stage.

6. The cryopump regeneration method according to claim 1, wherein: The rough extraction process comprises: When the cryopump container reaches the preset pressure, the second heater is turned off.

7. The cryopump regeneration method according to claim 1, wherein: The preset pressure is 5 to 15.2 Torr.

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