Valve device

Abstract

A valve device is configured to be installed on a shell, the valve device comprises a seat body unit, a floating assembly and a reset element, the seat body unit comprises a first ventilation opening, a second ventilation opening, a channel, a fixing rib and a bearing ring, the channel is communicated between the first air vent and the second air vent, and the fixing ribs and the bearing rings are arranged in the channel at intervals; the floating assembly is located in the channel and movably abuts against the abutting ring. The reset element is made of a plastic elastic material, and the reset element comprises a fixed seat and an elastic abutting arm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a valve device, and particularly to a valve device that avoids adhesion of metal ions. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing processes, anti-pollution storage devices are used to store and transport photomasks to keep the photomasks clean. At the same time, anti-pollution semiconductor component storage devices are also used to store and transport semiconductor components to keep the semiconductor components clean. Storage devices are used to store photomasks in semiconductor manufacturing processes to facilitate the handling and transfer of photomasks between machines and to isolate the photomasks from the atmosphere to prevent the photomasks from being contaminated by impurities and changing. Semiconductor component storage devices are used to store semiconductor components in semiconductor manufacturing processes to facilitate the handling and transfer of semiconductor components between machines and to isolate the semiconductor components from the atmosphere to prevent the semiconductor components from being contaminated by impurities and changing.

[0003] Specifically, during the transportation or storage of wafers or photomasks, they must be placed in a carrier with high cleanliness, good airtightness, low gas leakage, and anti-static protection, such as a wafer cassette or a photomask cassette, to effectively prevent wafers or photomasks from being contaminated and ensure the high cleanliness and high production yield of wafers or photomasks. To improve the cleanliness of the aforementioned carrier, a common method is to fill clean inert gas into the sealed carrier through a gas valve to reduce the harm of harmful gases.

[0004] Currently, the intake valve or exhaust valve provided on the carrier generates an action of relatively moving away from or closely adhering to the spacer through the compression and reset action of a spring, thereby achieving selective opening and closing of the air flow channels of the intake valve or exhaust valve. However, since the spring is made of a metal material, in actual operation, it is found that when the wafer or photomask cassette is simultaneously intaking and exhausting air, the flowing air is more likely to adhere to metal ions, causing the wafer or photomask to be contaminated, thus affecting the yield in subsequent manufacturing processes.

[0005] Therefore, to overcome the disadvantages and deficiencies in the prior art, it is necessary to provide an improved valve device to solve the problems existing in the above prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, the main object of the present invention is to provide a valve device for an electroplating drum. The reset component made of a plastic elastic material does not contain metal ions, can overcome the problem of metal ion adhesion by flowing air, and thus effectively avoids the contamination of wafers or photomasks and affects the yield in subsequent manufacturing processes.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a valve device configured to be mounted on a housing. The valve device includes a base unit, a floating assembly, and a reset element. The base unit includes a first vent port, a second vent port, a channel, a fixing rib, and a supporting ring. The channel communicates between the first vent port and the second vent port, and the fixing rib and the supporting ring are spaced apart in the channel. The floating assembly is located in the channel and is movably abutted against the supporting ring. The reset element is made of a plastic elastic material and includes a fixing seat and an elastic arm. The elastic arm extends bent from one end of the fixing seat, and the elastic arm is configured to reset and push against a contact surface of the floating assembly, so that the floating assembly moves from a vent position away from the supporting ring to a closed position close to the supporting ring.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing seat of the reset assembly has a rectangular body and a latch rod. The latch rod is connected to the rectangular body. The fixing rib forms a fixing hole, and the latch rod is configured to be latched in the fixing hole.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing seat of the reset assembly further has a positioning member. The positioning member is connected to the rectangular body and is spaced apart from the latch rod. The fixing rib forms a positioning groove, and the positioning member is configured to be inserted into the positioning groove.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the fixing seat of the reset assembly further has a stop rod. The stop rod is disposed on the rectangular body and is opposite to the latch rod. The stop rod is configured to contact the elastic arm, so that the rectangular body stops approaching the elastic arm.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic arm of the reset assembly has a bent extension section and a pushing section. One end of the bent extension section is connected to the fixing seat, and an acute angle is formed between the bent extension section and the fixing seat. The other end of the bent extension section is connected to the pushing section, and an obtuse angle is formed between the bent extension section and the pushing section.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic arm of the reset assembly further has a plurality of buffer bumps. The buffer bumps are formed on a surface of the pushing section, and the buffer bumps are configured to be attached to the contact surface of the floating assembly.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the floating component includes a plate body, a neck portion, and a washer. One surface of the plate body is the contact surface. The neck portion extends from the other surface of the plate body and is configured to penetrate through the abutting ring. The washer is assembled between the plate body and the abutting ring.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the valve device further includes a filter element and a sealing ring. The filter element is assembled in the seat body unit to close the first ventilation port. The sealing ring is sealed between the filter element and the seat body unit.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the seat body unit further includes an air inlet cylinder body and an air inlet cover. The air inlet cylinder body and the air inlet cover are stacked and combined together. The first ventilation port is formed on the air inlet cylinder body. The second ventilation port is formed on the air inlet cover. The abutting ring is disposed on an inner ring wall of the air inlet cover. The fixing rib is disposed on an inner ring wall of the air inlet cylinder body.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the seat body unit further includes an exhaust cylinder body and an exhaust cover. The exhaust cylinder body and the exhaust cover are stacked and combined together. The first ventilation port is formed on the exhaust cylinder body. The second ventilation port is formed on the exhaust cover. The abutting ring is disposed on an inner ring wall of the exhaust cylinder body. The fixing rib is disposed on an inner ring wall of the exhaust cover.

[0017] As described above, the valve device of the present invention can utilize the elastic restoring force of the restoring element to move the floating component from the ventilation position away from the abutting ring to the closed position close to the abutting ring, so that the floating component generates an action of relatively moving away from or closely adhering to the abutting ring, thereby achieving selective opening or closing of the air flow channel of the valve device. Since the restoring element is made of the plastic elastic material and does not contain metal ions, it can overcome the problem of metal ions adhering to the flowing air, effectively avoiding the contamination of the wafer or photomask and affecting the yield in the subsequent process. Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of the valve device.

[0020] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional view of the valve device from another angle.

[0021] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of a valve device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 is Figure 4 a cross-sectional view of a valve device.

[0023] Figure 6 is Figure 4 a cross-sectional view of the valve device from another angle. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] The descriptions of the following embodiments refer to the attached drawings, which are used to illustrate specific embodiments in which the present invention can be implemented. Furthermore, the directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as up, down, top, bottom, front, back, left, right, inside, outside, side, surrounding, center, horizontal, transverse, vertical, longitudinal, axial, radial, the uppermost layer or the lowermost layer, etc., are only with reference to the directions in the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for explaining and understanding the present invention, rather than for limiting the present invention.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown in the figure. A valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as an intake valve, is configured to be installed on a housing 101 of a wafer cassette. The valve device includes a base unit 2, a floating assembly 3, and a reset assembly 4. The detailed structures, assembly relationships, and operating principles of each component of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown in the figure. The base unit 2 includes an intake cylinder 21, an intake cover 22, a first ventilation port 23, a second ventilation port 24, a channel 25, a fixing rib 26, and a supporting ring 27. The intake cylinder 21 and the intake cover 22 are stacked and combined together, and the intake cover 22 is located on the intake cylinder 21. The first ventilation port 23 is formed at the bottom of the intake cylinder 21, and the second ventilation port 24 is formed at the top of the intake cover 22. The channel 25 communicates between the first ventilation port 23 and the second ventilation port 24, and the fixing rib 26 and the supporting ring 27 are spaced apart and disposed in the channel 25. In addition, the supporting ring 27 is disposed on an inner ring wall of the intake cover 22, and the fixing rib 26 is disposed on an inner ring wall of the intake cylinder 21. In this embodiment, the fixing rib 26 is in a cross shape.

[0027] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the floating component 3 is located in the channel 25, and the floating component 3 is movably abutted against the abutting ring 27. Specifically, the floating component 3 includes a plate body 31, a neck 32 and a washer 33. One surface of the plate body 31 is a contact surface A. The neck 32 extends from the other surface of the plate body 31, and the neck 32 is configured to penetrate through the abutting ring 27. The washer 33 is combined between the plate body 31 and the abutting ring 27. In this embodiment, the washer 33 is partially recessed in an annular groove of the abutting ring 27.

[0028] Continue to refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the reset component 4 is made of a plastic elastic material. Specifically, the plastic elastic material is polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), etc. The reset component 4 includes a fixed seat 41 and an elastic arm 42. The elastic arm 42 extends bent from one end of the fixed seat 41, and the elastic arm 42 is configured to reset and push against the contact surface A of the floating component 3, so that the floating component 3 moves from a ventilation position away from the abutting ring 27 to a closed position close to the abutting ring 27.

[0029] Continue to refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, specifically, the fixed seat 41 of the reset component 4 has a rectangular body 411, a buckle rod 412, a positioning member 413 and a stop rod 414. The buckle rod 412 is connected to the rectangular body 411. The fixing rib 26 forms a fixing hole 261. The buckle rod 412 is configured to be inserted into the fixing hole 261, so that the fixed seat 41 is fixed on the fixing rib 26. The positioning member 413 is connected to the rectangular body 411, and the positioning member 413 is spaced from the buckle rod 412. The fixing rib 26 forms a positioning groove 262. The positioning member 413 is configured to be inserted into the positioning groove 262 to prevent the rectangular body 411 from rotating and moving. The stop rod 414 is arranged on the rectangular body 411, and the stop rod 414 is opposite to the buckle rod 412. The stop rod 414 is configured to move towards the elastic arm 42 and contact the elastic arm 42, so that the rectangular body 411 stops approaching the elastic arm 42 and forms a spacing.

[0030] Continue to refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the resilient arm 42 of the reset assembly 4 has a bent extension section 421, a pushing section 422, and a plurality of buffer blocks 423. One end of the bent extension section 421 is connected to the rectangular body 411 of the fixed seat 41, and an acute angle is formed between the bent extension section 421 and the rectangular body 411 of the fixed seat 41. The other end of the bent extension section 421 is connected to the pushing section 422, and an obtuse angle is formed between the bent extension section 421 and the pushing section 422. The buffer blocks 423 are formed on a surface of the pushing section 422, and the buffer blocks 423 are configured to adhere to the contact surface A of the floating assembly 3 to concentrate and increase a thrust force of the resilient arm 42 pushing the contact surface A.

[0031] Continue to refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the valve device further includes a filter element 5 and a sealing ring 6. The filter element 5 is combined with the seat body unit 2 to close the first air vent 23, and the sealing ring 6 is sealed between the filter element 5 and the seat body unit 2. The filter element 5 is configured to filter fine particles, dust or organic matter in the air.

[0032] According to the above structure, when admitting air, the gas passes through the channel 25 along an arrow direction D1. The floating assembly 3 is pushed by the gas and moves in the arrow direction D1, so that the plate body 31 moves away from the supporting ring 27 to form an opening for the gas to pass through. At the same time, the resilient arm 42 of the reset assembly 4 is pressed down and moves towards the fixed seat 41, so that the resilient arm 42 accumulates an elastic restoring force. When the air intake ends, the airflow in the channel 25 disappears, and the floating assembly 3 loses the force of being pushed by the gas. Therefore, the resilient arm 42 applies the elastic restoring force to the contact surface A, and the floating assembly 3 is pushed reversely, so that the floating assembly 3 moves from the vent position away from the supporting ring 27 to the closed position close to the supporting ring 27, so that the plate body 31 contacts the supporting ring 27 and is re-sealed.

[0033] As described above, the valve device of the present invention can use the elastic restoring force of the reset assembly 4 to move the floating assembly 3 from the vent position away from the supporting ring 27 to the closed position close to the supporting ring 27, so that the floating assembly 3 generates an action of relatively moving away from or closely adhering to the supporting ring 27, thereby achieving selective opening or closing of the airflow channel of the valve device. Since the reset assembly 4 is made of the plastic elastic material and does not contain metal ions, it can overcome the problem of metal ions adhering to the flowing air, effectively avoiding the contamination of the wafer or the photomask and affecting the yield in the subsequent process.

[0034] Please refer toFigure 4 and Figure 5 As shown in Figure 5 , another valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as an exhaust valve, is similar to the above embodiment of the present invention and generally uses the same component names and drawing numbers. The valve device is configured to be mounted on the housing 101 of the chip cartridge. The valve device includes a base unit 2, a floating assembly 3, and a reset assembly 4. The detailed structure, assembly relationship, and operating principle of each component of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in Figure 6 , the base unit 2 includes an exhaust cylinder 28, an exhaust cover 29, a first ventilation port 23, a second ventilation port 24, a channel 25, a fixing rib 26, and a supporting ring 27. The exhaust cylinder 28 and the exhaust cover 29 are stacked and combined together, and the exhaust cover 29 is located on the exhaust cylinder 28. The first ventilation port 23 is formed at the bottom of the exhaust cylinder 28, and the second ventilation port 24 is formed at the top of the exhaust cover 29. The channel 25 communicates between the first ventilation port 23 and the second ventilation port 24, and the fixing rib 26 and the supporting ring 27 are spaced apart and disposed in the channel 25. In addition, the supporting ring 27 is disposed on an inner wall of the exhaust cylinder 28, and the fixing rib 26 is disposed on an inner wall of the exhaust cover 29. In this embodiment, the fixing rib 26 is in a cross shape.

[0036] According to the above structure, when exhausting, the gas passes through the channel 25 in a direction of arrow D2. The floating assembly 3 is pushed by the gas and moves in the direction of arrow D2, so that the plate body 31 moves away from the supporting ring 27 to form an opening for the gas to pass through. At the same time, the elastic arm 42 of the reset assembly 4 is pushed upward and moves toward the fixed seat 41, so that the elastic arm 42 accumulates an elastic restoring force. When the exhausting ends, the airflow in the channel 25 disappears, and the floating assembly 3 loses the force pushed by the gas. Therefore, the elastic arm 42 applies the elastic restoring force to the contact surface A, and the floating assembly 3 is reversely pushed against, so that the plate body 31 contacts the supporting ring 27 and is re-sealed.

[0037] The valve device of the present invention can use the elastic restoring force of the reset component 4 to move the floating component 3 from the ventilation position away from the abutting ring 27 to the closed position close to the abutting ring 27, so that the floating component 3 generates an action of relatively moving away from or closely adhering to the abutting ring 27, thereby achieving selective opening or closing of the air flow channel of the valve device. Since the reset component 4 is made of the plastic elastic material and does not contain metal ions, the problem of metal ions adhering to the flowing air can be overcome, and the wafer or photomask can be effectively prevented from being contaminated and affecting the yield in the subsequent process.

[0038] The present invention has been described by the above related embodiments. However, the above embodiments are only examples for implementing the present invention. It must be pointed out that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, modifications and equivalent arrangements included in the spirit and scope of the claims are all included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A valve device configured to be mounted on a housing, Characterized in that: The valve device includes: a body unit including a first vent, a second vent, a passage, a fixing rib and a bearing ring, the passage communicating between the first vent and the second vent, and the fixing rib and the bearing ring being spaced apart and disposed in the passage; A floating assembly located in the passage and movably abutted against the bearing ring; and A reset assembly, the reset element being made of a plastic elastic material, and the reset element including a fixing seat and an elastic arm, the elastic arm bending and extending from one end of the fixing seat, the elastic arm being configured to reset and push against a contact surface of the floating assembly to move the floating assembly from a vent position away from the bearing ring to a closed position close to the bearing ring.

2. The valve device according to claim 1, Characterized in that: The fixing seat of the reset assembly has a rectangular body and a latch rod, the latch rod being connected to the rectangular body, the fixing rib forming a fixing hole, and the latch rod being configured to be latched in the fixing hole.

3. The valve device according to claim 2, Characterized in that: The fixing seat of the reset assembly further has a positioning member, the positioning member being connected to the rectangular body and spaced apart from the latch rod, the fixing rib forming a positioning groove, and the positioning member being configured to be inserted into the positioning groove.

4. The valve device according to claim 2, Characterized in that: The fixing seat of the reset element further has a stop rod, the stop rod being disposed on the rectangular body and opposite to the latch rod, the stop rod being configured to contact the elastic arm to stop the rectangular body from approaching the elastic arm.

5. The valve device according to claim 1, Characterized in that: The elastic arm of the reset assembly has a bent extension section and a pushing section, one end of the bent extension section being connected to the fixing seat, and an acute angle being formed between the bent extension section and the fixing seat, the other end of the bent extension section being connected to the pushing section, and an obtuse angle being formed between the bent extension section and the pushing section.

6. The valve device according to claim 5, Characterized in that: The elastic arm of the reset assembly further has a plurality of buffer blocks, the buffer blocks being formed on a surface of the pushing section, and the buffer blocks being configured to adhere to the contact surface of the floating assembly.

7. The valve device according to claim 1, Characterized in that: The floating assembly includes a plate body, a neck and a gasket, one surface of the plate body being the contact surface, the neck extending from the other surface of the plate body and configured to penetrate the bearing ring, and the gasket being combined between the plate body and the bearing ring.

8. The valve device according to claim 1, Characterized in that: The valve device further includes a filter element and a sealing ring, the filter element being combined with the body unit to close the first vent, and the sealing ring being sealed between the filter element and the body unit.

9. The valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that: the seat body unit further comprises an air inlet cylinder body and an air inlet cover, the air inlet cylinder body and the air inlet cover are stacked and combined together, the first ventilation port is formed on the air inlet cylinder body, the second ventilation port is formed on the air inlet cover, the abutting ring is arranged on an inner ring wall of the air inlet cover, and the fixing rib is arranged on an inner ring wall of the air inlet cylinder body.

10. The valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that: the seat body unit further comprises an exhaust cylinder body and an exhaust cover, the exhaust cylinder body and the exhaust cover are stacked and combined together, the first ventilation port is formed on the exhaust cylinder body, the second ventilation port is formed on the exhaust cover, the abutting ring is arranged on an inner ring wall of the exhaust cylinder body, and the fixing rib is arranged on an inner ring wall of the exhaust cover.

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