Gate valve and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a gate valve and semiconductor process equipment. The gate valve comprises a gate valve main body, a movably arranged valve plate and a locking unit, wherein the gate valve main body is provided with a wafer conveying opening; the valve plate is provided with a valve closing position and a valve opening position, and the valve plate is switched between the valve closing position and the valve opening position through movement, so that the valve plate is blocked at the wafer conveying opening or is located at a position far away from the wafer conveying opening; the locking unit comprises a movable limiting piece, the limiting piece is provided with a locking position and an avoiding position, and the limiting piece is switched between the locking position and the avoiding position through movement; when the limiting piece is located at the locking position, the valve plate can be prevented from moving from the valve closing position to the valve opening position, so that the situation that the gate valve is accidentally opened when a power system used for driving the valve plate loses efficacy is avoided, the normal process is guaranteed, and the risk of process accidents is reduced; when the limiting piece is located at the avoiding position, the movement path of the valve plate can be avoided, so that the valve plate can be opened, and the process steps can be normally carried out.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of semiconductor process equipment, and particularly relates to a gate valve and a semiconductor process equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of the semiconductor industry, the process is increasingly demanding on the vacuum environment chamber, and the slot valve is a key tool for isolating the process cavity from the transmission platform. The semiconductor process has high requirements on particle size, so a lifting gate valve is often used to reduce the increase in particles caused by friction or vibration. The existing gate valve usually uses a pneumatic driving device to drive the lifting of the valve plate to control the movement of the gate valve by turning on and off the compressed gas, and then controls the valve plate to rise or fall to achieve the purpose of opening and closing the gate valve.

[0003] However, in actual production, the compressed gas source has the risk of insufficient gas pressure and pipeline gas leakage, which may affect the stability of the valve plate, and thus cause the gate valve to have the risk of valve plate falling, thereby affecting the gas environment inside the process chamber, and even causing the process to fail. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application at least partially solves the problem that the valve plate of the existing gate valve is prone to falling when the power device fails, and provides a gate valve and a semiconductor process equipment.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a gate valve applied to a semiconductor process equipment; the gate valve comprises:

[0006] a gate valve body having a transmission piece port;

[0007] a valve plate movably arranged in the gate valve body; the valve plate has a closed valve position and an open valve position, and the valve plate switches between the closed valve position and the open valve position by moving; when in the closed valve position, the valve plate blocks at the transmission piece port to block the communication of the gas environments on both sides of the transmission piece port; when in the open valve position, the valve plate is in a position away from the transmission piece port;

[0008] a locking unit arranged in the gate valve body; the locking unit comprises a movable limiting piece, the limiting piece has a locking position and a avoiding position, and the limiting piece switches between the locking position and the avoiding position by moving; the limiting piece can block the valve plate from moving from the closed valve position to the open valve position when in the locking position, and the limiting piece can avoid the movement path of the valve plate when in the avoiding position.

[0009] Optionally, the gate valve further comprises a control unit and a pressure detection unit; the pressure detection unit is used for detecting the gas pressure on both sides of the transmission piece port and sending the detection result to the control unit.

[0010] The control unit is configured to determine, when the valve plate is in the closed valve position, whether the pressure states on both sides of the transmission port are consistent according to the received detection result, and if not, control the limiting member to switch to the locking position; if yes, control the limiting member to switch to the avoiding position.

[0011] Optionally, the limiting member comprises a limiting rod, which is located on a side of the valve plate away from the transmission port.

[0012] The limiting rod is rotatable around a specified axis, so as to switch between the locking position and the avoiding position by rotation; when in the locking position, an end of the limiting rod close to the valve plate abuts against the valve plate; when in the avoiding position, the limiting rod avoids the movement path of the valve plate.

[0013] The locking unit further comprises a limiting driving device; the limiting driving device is in driving cooperation with the limiting rod, and is configured to drive the limiting rod to rotate.

[0014] Optionally, the limiting driving device comprises an electromagnetic coil and an elastic component; the electromagnetic coil and the elastic component are respectively located on both sides of the specified axis.

[0015] One end of the elastic component is fixed, and the other end is connected with the limiting rod; the extension state of the elastic component satisfies that the limiting rod can be rotated to the avoiding position under the action of the elastic component without external force.

[0016] The electromagnetic coil can be attracted to the limiting rod when in electrical conduction; the position state of the electromagnetic coil satisfies that the limiting rod can be rotated to the locking position when attracted to the limiting rod.

[0017] Optionally, the valve plate comprises a valve plate body and a supporting protrusion; the supporting protrusion protrudes from the bottom surface of the valve plate body; the supporting protrusion is movably connected with the valve plate body, and the supporting protrusion can slide relative to the valve plate body along a specified direction; the specified direction is a direction from the closed valve position to the open valve position, or a direction from the open valve position to the closed valve position.

[0018] When in the locking position, the end of the limiting rod close to the valve plate abuts against the bottom end of the supporting protrusion; when in the avoiding position, the limiting rod rotates away from the supporting protrusion, so as to avoid the movement path of the supporting protrusion.

[0019] Optionally, the pressure detection unit has two signal output ends, which are respectively configured to output signals corresponding to the pressure states on both sides of the transmission port.

[0020] The control unit comprises an operation circuit; the operation circuit has a first input end, a second input end and an output end; the first input end and the second input end of the operation circuit are electrically connected with the two signal output ends of the pressure monitoring unit respectively, and the output end of the operation circuit is electrically connected with the locking unit;

[0021] The operation circuit is used for judging whether the signals corresponding to the air pressures on the two sides of the wafer port are consistent, and if consistent, outputting a second signal, and if inconsistent, outputting a first signal; one of the first signal and the second signal is a high-level signal, and the other is a low-level signal;

[0022] In response to the first signal, the limiting piece is switched to a locking position; in response to the second signal, the limiting piece is switched to a avoiding position.

[0023] Optionally, the operation circuit comprises a first NAND gate chip, a second NAND gate chip, a third NAND gate chip and a fourth NAND gate chip; wherein,

[0024] The two receiving ends of the first NAND gate chip are used as the first input end and the second input end of the operation circuit respectively, and are connected in series with one receiving end of the second NAND gate chip and the third NAND gate chip respectively; the other receiving end of the second NAND gate chip and the third NAND gate chip is connected in series with the output end of the first NAND gate chip;

[0025] The two receiving ends of the fourth NAND gate chip are connected in series with the output ends of the second NAND gate chip and the third NAND gate chip respectively; the output end of the fourth NAND gate chip is used as the output end of the operation circuit.

[0026] Optionally, the operation circuit comprises an AND gate chip, an OR gate chip and a fifth NAND gate chip; wherein,

[0027] One receiving end of the AND gate chip is connected in series with one receiving end of the OR gate chip, and is commonly used as the first input end of the operation circuit; the other receiving end of the AND gate chip is connected in series with the other receiving end of the OR gate chip, and is commonly used as the second input end of the operation circuit;

[0028] The two receiving ends of the fifth NAND gate chip are connected in series with the output end of the AND gate chip and the output end of the OR gate chip respectively; the output end of the fifth NAND gate chip is used as the output end of the operation circuit.

[0029] Optionally, the gate valve body has a sealed installation cavity and a gate valve cavity arranged adjacent to the installation cavity;

[0030] The locking unit is arranged in the mounting cavity; the door valve cavities are respectively communicated with gas environments on both sides of the door valve to serve as the transmission port; a first through hole is arranged on the side of the door valve cavity close to the mounting cavity; and the first through hole is used for the valve plate to pass through.

[0031] The valve plate is located inside the mounting cavity when being in the open valve position; and the valve plate penetrates the door valve cavity when being in the closed valve position to block the gas environments on both sides.

[0032] As another technical solution, the application further provides a semiconductor process equipment comprising a plurality of cavities;

[0033] At least part of the cavities adjacent to each other are provided with the door valve as described above to control the on-off between the cavities.

[0034] The application has the following beneficial effects:

[0035] The door valve provided by the embodiment of the application is additionally provided with a locking unit, the locking unit comprises a limiting piece capable of switching between a locking position and a avoiding position, the limiting piece can block the valve plate from moving from the closed valve position to the open valve position when being in the locking position to avoid the valve plate from leaving the closed valve position; and the limiting piece can avoid the movement path of the valve plate when being in the avoiding position to avoid hindering the normal activity of the valve plate. In this way, when the valve plate is in the closed valve position, the limiting piece can be switched to the locking position to make the valve plate keep blocking the transmission port, so that the door valve is prevented from being accidentally opened when the power system for driving the valve plate fails, so that the process can be normally carried out and the risk of process accidents is reduced; and when it is needed to switch the valve plate to the open valve position, the limiting piece can be switched to the avoiding position to make the valve plate move away from the transmission port, so that the transmission port can be opened to supply the normal process steps. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] Fig. 1A A structural diagram of the door valve with the valve plate in the open valve position state provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0037] Fig. 1B A structural diagram of the door valve with the valve plate in the closed valve position state provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0038] Fig. 1C A structural diagram of the door valve with the limiting piece in the locking position state provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0039] Fig. 2 A circuit diagram of the operation circuit in the door valve provided by the embodiment of the application;

[0040] Fig. 3Another circuit diagram of the operation circuit in the gate valve provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided.

[0041] Fig. 4 A side view structure diagram of the gate valve provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided.

[0042] Fig. 5 A structure schematic diagram of the semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided.

[0043] Fig. 6 Another structure schematic diagram of the semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the technical solution of the present application better understood by those skilled in the art, the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0045] It can be understood that the specific embodiments and drawings described herein are only used to explain the present application, but not to limit the present application.

[0046] It can be understood that the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0047] It can be understood that, for the convenience of description, only parts related to the embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings of the present application, and parts unrelated to the embodiments of the present application are not shown in the drawings.

[0048] It can be understood that, without conflict, the functions and steps marked in the flowcharts and block diagrams of the embodiments of the present application can occur in an order different from that marked in the drawings.

[0049] It can be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments adopted to illustrate the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the present application, and these modifications and improvements are also regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

[0050] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present embodiment provides a gate valve which can be applied to semiconductor process equipment. Fig. 1A-1C As shown in the figure, the gate valve includes a valve plate 1, a locking unit 2 and a gate valve body 3.

[0051] Specifically, when the gate valve is arranged between two adjacent chambers, the transmission port is connected with the two chambers respectively, so as to be able to block the communication between the two chambers by blocking the transmission port.

[0052] The valve plate 1 is movably arranged in the door valve body. The valve plate 1 has a closed valve position and an open valve position, and can be switched between the closed valve position and the open valve position by moving. Specifically, when in the closed valve position, the valve plate 1 can block the position of the wafer transfer port to block the communication between the gas environments on both sides of the wafer transfer port, i.e., the door valve is closed; when in the open valve position, the valve plate 1 is away from the wafer transfer port, so as not to block the wafer transfer port, thereby allowing the process object and the gas to pass through the wafer transfer port, i.e., the door valve is opened, so that the aeration or wafer transfer can be performed. Correspondingly, the door valve further comprises a valve plate 1 driving device connected with the valve plate 1, for driving the valve plate 1 to switch between the closed valve position and the open valve position.

[0053] The locking unit 2 is arranged in the door valve body 3. The locking unit 2 comprises a movable limiting piece. The limiting piece has a locking position and a avoiding position, and the limiting piece is switched between the locking position and the avoiding position by moving. Specifically, when in the locking position, the limiting piece can block the valve plate 1 from moving from the closed valve position to the open valve position, so as to avoid the valve plate 1 from leaving the closed valve position; when in the avoiding position, the limiting piece can avoid the movement path of the valve plate 1, so as to avoid blocking the movement of the valve plate 1 between the closed valve position and the open valve position. In this way, when the valve plate 1 is in the closed valve position, the limiting piece can be switched to the locking position to avoid the failure of the valve plate 1 driving device, thereby avoiding the accidental opening of the door valve, and further ensuring the normal process and reducing the risk of process accidents, thereby improving the process stability and equipment safety; when it is necessary to switch the valve plate 1 to the open valve position, the limiting piece can be switched to the avoiding position, so that the valve plate 1 can move away from the wafer transfer port, thereby allowing the wafer transfer port to be normally opened, i.e., the door valve under this condition has the condition of being opened, so that the subsequent corresponding process steps can be normally performed.

[0054] In some embodiments, the door valve further comprises a control unit and a pressure detection unit. The pressure detection unit is used to detect the gas pressure on both sides of the wafer transfer port and send the detection result to the control unit. The control unit is used to judge whether the gas pressure states on both sides of the wafer transfer port are consistent according to the received detection result after the valve plate 1 is lifted, and if not, the limiting piece is controlled to switch to the locking position; if yes, the limiting piece is controlled to switch to the avoiding position. Taking the case that the door valve is in communication with two chambers as an example, when the gas pressure states in the two chambers are inconsistent, it indicates that at least one of the two chambers is in a process state, so the two chambers should not be communicated under such a state, therefore, by controlling the limiting piece to switch to the locking position, the valve plate 1 can be prevented from being communicated under the condition that it should not be communicated, thereby ensuring the normal process and ensuring the process safety; when the gas pressure states in the two chambers are consistent, it indicates that the two chambers are in the same process state, so the two chambers can be communicated under such a state and will not affect the process state in any of the two chambers, therefore, by controlling the limiting piece to switch to the avoiding position, the door valve can be prepared for opening.

[0055] It is to be noted that the "consistent pressure state" is not limited to the pressure on both sides of the door valve being exactly equal. In actual process, a small range of pressure difference is also allowed. Specifically, in some embodiments, the pressure state is divided into, for example, a vacuum state and an atmospheric state. Specifically, the pressure detection unit determines that the atmospheric state is detected when the ambient pressure is greater than a preset atmospheric threshold, and determines that the vacuum state is detected when the ambient pressure is less than a preset vacuum threshold. The preset atmospheric threshold is, for example, 735T; and the preset vacuum threshold is, for example, 75T.

[0056] For example, the door valve can be arranged between two chambers that can have a pressure difference, to ensure that the wafer transfer port is closed when the pressure states in the two chambers are inconsistent, thereby avoiding accidental connection between the two chambers, and further avoiding contamination of either of the two chambers or ensuring normal process.

[0057] For example, the door valve can be arranged between two chambers that can have a pressure difference, to ensure that the wafer transfer port is closed when the pressure states in the two chambers are inconsistent, thereby avoiding accidental connection between the two chambers, and further avoiding contamination of either of the two chambers or ensuring normal process. Fig. 6As shown, the loading and unloading chamber 02 is located between the front-end chamber 04 (EFEM) and the transfer chamber 03 (TM), and two door valves 01 can be respectively arranged between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the transfer chamber 03 and between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the front-end chamber 04 to control the communication or block of the loading and unloading chamber 02 with the chambers on both sides; and since the front-end chamber 04 needs to be communicated with the atmosphere and the inside of the transfer chamber 03 needs to be kept in a vacuum state, the inside of the loading and unloading chamber 02 needs to be converted from an atmospheric state to a vacuum state or from a vacuum state to an atmospheric state during the wafer boat transmission, and the pressure detection units in the two door valves 01 can respectively monitor the gas pressure difference between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the transfer chamber 03 and the gas pressure difference between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the front-end chamber 04, and the control units in the two door valves 01 can control the corresponding limit pieces to switch to the locking position when the gas pressure states on both sides of the corresponding wafer transmission port are different, so that the corresponding door valve 01 can be prevented from being accidentally opened. For example, when the wafer boat is transmitted between the front-end chamber 04 and the loading and unloading chamber 02, the loading and unloading chamber 02 is communicated with the front-end chamber 04, and the gas environment in the loading and unloading chamber 02 is in an atmospheric state, so the gas pressure states in the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the transfer chamber 03 are different, and in this case, the control unit in the door valve 01 between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the transfer chamber 03 can control the limit piece to switch to the locking position, so that the door valve 01 can be prevented from being accidentally opened during the wafer boat transmission, thereby preventing the environment in the transfer chamber 03 from being polluted. For another example, during the conversion between the vacuum state and the atmospheric state in the loading and unloading chamber 02, there is a gas pressure difference between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the transfer chamber 03 and the front-end chamber 04, and in this case, the control units in the two door valves 01 at both ends of the loading and unloading chamber 02 can control the limit pieces to switch to the locking position, so that any one of the door valves 01 can be prevented from being accidentally opened during the change of the gas pressure in the loading and unloading chamber 02. For another example, when the wafer boat is transmitted between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the transfer chamber 03, the gas environment in the loading and unloading chamber 02 needs to be converted to a vacuum state to be communicated with the transfer chamber 03, so the gas pressure states in the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the front-end chamber 04 are different, and in this case, the control unit in the door valve 01 between the loading and unloading chamber 02 and the front-end chamber 04 can control the limit piece to switch to the locking position, so that the door valve 01 can be prevented from being accidentally opened during the wafer boat transmission, thereby preventing the environment in the transfer chamber 03 from being polluted.

[0058] For example, the door valve is arranged between the process chamber (PM) and the transfer chamber, as shown in FIG. 1. Fig. 5As shown, the door valve 01 is in communication with the gas environment inside the process chamber 05 and the transfer chamber 03 respectively, to control the communication or block of the gas environment inside the two chambers. Specifically, the inside of the transfer chamber 03 is kept in an atmospheric state, while the inside of the process chamber 05 is in a vacuum state when the process is carried out inside the process chamber 05; in this state, the pressure detection unit in the door valve 01 can detect that the gas pressure states on both sides of the wafer port are inconsistent, and accordingly, the control unit can control the limiting piece to switch to the locking position, which can avoid the accidental opening of the door valve 01 during the process, thereby avoiding process failure and avoiding the pollution of the environment inside the process chamber 05. When the process inside the process chamber 05 is completed, the gas environment inside the process chamber 05 can be switched to an atmospheric state; in this state, the pressure detection unit in the door valve 01 can detect that the gas pressure states on both sides of the wafer port are consistent, and accordingly, the control unit can control the limiting piece to switch to the avoiding position, in preparation for the subsequent step of opening the door valve 01, so that the processed wafer can be transported to the transfer chamber 03.

[0059] In some embodiments, the pressure detection unit has two signal output ends O1, respectively used to output signals corresponding to the gas pressure on both sides of the wafer port. Further, in some specific embodiments, the pressure detection unit includes two vacuum gauges respectively arranged on both sides of the wafer port, which can detect the vacuum degree of the gas environment by measuring the resistance change of the airflow in the environment. Moreover, when the vacuum degree of the vacuum gauge reaches a corresponding value, it will output a corresponding digital input signal (Digital Input, referred to as DI), that is, a high-level signal and a low-level signal, that is, "1" and "0".

[0060] The control unit includes an operation circuit. The operation circuit has a first input end I1, a second input end I2, and an output end O2; the first input end I1 and the second input end I2 of the operation circuit are electrically connected with the two signal output ends O1 of the pressure monitoring unit. The operation circuit is used to judge whether the signals corresponding to the gas pressure on both sides of the wafer port are consistent, if consistent, output a second signal, if not consistent, output a first signal; wherein one of the first signal and the second signal is a high-level signal, and the other is a low-level signal. The output end O2 of the operation circuit is electrically connected with the locking unit 2; specifically, in response to the first signal, the limiting piece switches to the locking position; in response to the second signal, the limiting piece switches to the avoiding position.

[0061] In some embodiments, as Fig. 2As shown, the operation circuit includes a first NAND chip NAND1, a second NAND chip NAND2, a third NAND chip NAND3 and a fourth NAND chip NAND4. Two receiving ends of the first NAND chip NAND1 are used as a first input end I1 and a second input end I2 of the operation circuit respectively, and are connected in series with one receiving end of the second NAND chip NAND2 and the third NAND chip NAND3 respectively; the other receiving ends of the second NAND chip NAND2 and the third NAND chip NAND3 are connected in series with an output end of the first NAND chip NAND1; two receiving ends of the fourth NAND chip NAND4 are connected in series with output ends of the second NAND chip NAND2 and the third NAND chip NAND3 respectively; and an output end of the fourth NAND chip NAND4 is used as an output end O2 of the operation circuit. When the two input ends of the operation circuit are both high or both low, the operation output value is low; and when the two input ends of the operation circuit are a combination of high and low, the operation output value is high.

[0062] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2B, the operation circuit includes an AND chip, an OR chip and a fifth NAND chip NAND5. One receiving end of the AND chip is connected in series with one receiving end of the OR chip, and is used as a first input end I1 of the operation circuit together; the other receiving end of the AND chip is connected in series with the other receiving end of the OR chip, and is used as a second input end I2 of the operation circuit together; two receiving ends of the fifth NAND chip NAND5 are connected in series with an output end of the AND chip and an output end of the OR chip respectively; and an output end of the fifth NAND chip NAND5 is used as an output end O2 of the operation circuit. When the input ends of the operation circuit are both high or both low, the operation output value is low; and when the two input ends of the operation circuit are a combination of high and low, the operation output value is high. Fig. 3

[0063] The operation elements in the above two operation circuits are less, and accordingly, the operation steps to be performed are also less. Therefore, the above two operation circuits can realize fast judgment on whether the air pressure states on both sides of the wafer conveying port are consistent, so that the limiting member can be timely controlled to switch to the locking position when the air pressure states on both sides of the wafer conveying port are inconsistent.

[0064] Specifically, taking the pressure detection unit detecting the atmospheric environment to send a high-level signal and detecting the vacuum environment to send a low-level signal as an example, the operation result output table under different input conditions is shown in the following table:

[0065] Table 1 Operation result output table of operation circuit

[0066] First input end input signal Second input end input signal Output result 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0

[0067] ​It should be noted that "0" in Table 1 represents a low-level signal, and "1" represents a high-level signal. As can be seen from Table 1, when the pressure states on both sides of the wafer transfer port are detected to be different, the signal output by the operation circuit is a high-level signal; and when the pressure states on both sides of the wafer transfer port are detected to be the same, the signal output by the operation circuit is a low-level signal.

[0068] In some embodiments, the limiting member in the locking unit 2 includes a limiting rod 21 located on the side of the valve plate 1 close to the wafer transfer port. The limiting rod 21 can rotate around a specified axis to switch between the locking position and the avoiding position by rotating. When the limiting rod 21 is in the locking position, the end of the limiting rod 21 close to the valve plate 1 abuts against the valve plate 1 to block the movement of the valve plate 1 from the closed valve position to the open valve position, so as to avoid the accidental opening of the gate valve and ensure the normal process and reduce the risk of process accidents. As can be easily understood, the limiting rod 21 is a rigid component. When the limiting rod 21 is in the avoiding position, it avoids the movement path of the valve plate 1. Moreover, the abutting connection mode described above has a very low requirement for the matching precision, so that the use of the limiting rod 21 abutting against the valve plate 1 to block the movement of the valve plate 1 in the embodiment can reduce the machining precision of the limiting rod 21 and the valve plate 1, and in actual application, even if there is external vibration or impact interference, the problem that the limiting rod 21 cannot abut against the valve plate 1 when rotating to the locking position is not easy to occur.

[0069] The locking unit 2 further includes a limiting driving device. The limiting driving device is drivingly connected with the limiting rod 21 and is used to drive the limiting rod 21 to rotate. Specifically, the limiting driving device is connected with the operation circuit and drives the limiting rod 21 to rotate between the locking position and the avoiding position in response to the signal output by the operation circuit.

[0070] Further, in some embodiments, the limiting driving device includes an electromagnetic coil 22 and an elastic component 23. As shown in Fig. 1A-1C the electromagnetic coil 22 and the elastic component 23 are respectively located on both sides of the specified axis. In some specific embodiments, the limiting driving device includes a connecting shaft 24 rotationally connected with the limiting rod 21, and the central axis of the connecting shaft 24 coincides with the specified axis. Specifically, the swing amplitude of the limiting rod 21 depends on the distance between the specified axis and the end of the limiting rod 21, and then the setting position of the specified axis and the length of the limiting rod 21 can be determined according to the distance between the end of the limiting rod 21 and the supporting protrusion 12.

[0071] One end of the elastic component 23 is fixed, and the other end is connected to the limiting rod 21. The extension and retraction state of the elastic component 23 is such that it can drive the limiting rod 21 to rotate to the avoidance position when it is not subjected to external force. The electromagnetic coil 22 can be attracted to the limiting rod 21 when it is electrically conductive. The position state of the electromagnetic coil 22 is such that it can drive the limiting rod 21 to rotate to the locking position when it is attracted to the limiting rod 21, thereby locking the valve plate 1 when an electrical signal is sent to the limiting drive device, and automatically unlocking the valve plate 1 when no electrical signal is sent to the limiting drive device.

[0072] For example, such as Fig. 1C As shown, both the elastic component 23 and the electromagnetic coil 22 are located on the side of the limiting rod 21 near the avoidance position. The electromagnetic coil 22 is positioned away from the valve plate 1, while the elastic component 23 is positioned close to the valve plate 1, and the elastic component 23 is in a stretched state when the limiting rod 21 is in the limiting state. Thus, when the electromagnetic coil 22 is energized, it will attract the limiting rod 21 to drive the limiting rod 21 to rotate around a designated axis, so that the other end of the limiting rod 21 rotates to a position abutting against the valve plate 1; and when the electromagnetic coil 22 is de-energized, the elastic component 23 will pull the limiting rod 21 to the avoidance position under the action of elastic force.

[0073] It should be noted that this application does not limit the arrangement of the elastic component 23, the electromagnetic coil 22, and the limiting rod 21. In other feasible embodiments, the elastic component, the electromagnetic coil, and the limiting rod can also be arranged in other ways to satisfy the requirement that the limiting rod can be rotated in a direction away from the support protrusion 12 or in a direction closer to the support protrusion 12.

[0074] In some specific embodiments, the output terminal O2 of the above-mentioned arithmetic circuit is connected to the electromagnetic coil 22. For example, when the air pressure on both sides of the transfer port is different, the signal output by the arithmetic circuit is a high-level signal, the electromagnetic coil 22 is energized to attract the limiting rod 21, thereby driving the limiting rod 21 to rotate around a specified axis, and thus driving the limiting rod 21 to switch to the locked position; when the air pressure on both sides of the transfer port is the same, the signal output by the arithmetic circuit is a low-level signal, the electromagnetic coil 22 is de-energized to lose the attraction to the limiting rod 21, thereby disengaging from the limiting rod 21, and the elastic component 23 drives the limiting rod 21 to rotate around a specified axis, thereby driving the limiting rod 21 to switch to the avoidance position.

[0075] In some feasible embodiments, at least one of the above-mentioned elastic component 23 and electromagnetic coil 22 can be replaced with an electric push rod that can also output push and pull forces. Moreover, the electric push rod can be electrically connected to the output terminal O2 of the above-mentioned arithmetic circuit to drive the limit rod 21 to rotate to the locked position or the avoidance position according to the control signal output by the output terminal O2 of the arithmetic circuit.

[0076] In some possible embodiments, the limiting driving device can further comprise a driving motor, a power output end of the driving motor is coaxially arranged with the specified axis and connected with the limiting rod 21 to drive the limiting rod 21 to rotate around the specified axis. The driving motor is independently arranged relative to the driving device of the valve plate 1 to avoid simultaneous failure of the two, so that when the driving device of the valve plate 1 fails, the driving motor can drive the limiting rod 21 to rotate to the position abutting against the valve plate 1.

[0077] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 1A-1C The valve plate 1 comprises a valve plate body 11 and a supporting protrusion 12. The supporting protrusion 12 protrudes from the bottom surface of the valve plate body 11; the supporting protrusion 12 is movably connected with the gate valve body 3 and can slide relative to the gate valve body 3 in a specified direction; the specified direction is a direction from the closed valve position to the open valve position or a direction from the open valve position to the closed valve position. In some possible embodiments, the gate valve body 3 can be internally provided with a guide structure such as a guide hole or a guide groove to slide with the supporting protrusion 12, and the guide structure extends in the specified direction to limit the movement direction of the supporting protrusion 12 and the valve plate body.

[0078] Specifically, when in the locking position, the end of the limiting rod 21 close to the valve plate 1 abuts against the bottom end of the supporting protrusion 12; when in the avoiding position, the limiting rod 21 rotates away from the supporting protrusion 12 to avoid the movement path of the supporting protrusion 12.

[0079] However, in the present application, the limiting manner of the limiting member to the valve plate 1 is not limited to the limiting manner described in the above embodiments. In other embodiments, the supporting protrusion 12 can be further provided with a groove structure or a hole structure, and the end of the limiting member has a hook structure; the limiting member can be further hooked with the groove structure or the hole structure on the supporting protrusion 12 when in the locking position and unhooked with the groove structure or the hole structure when in the avoiding position. Alternatively, the end of the limiting member can have a pin structure to be further inserted into the groove structure or the hole structure when in the locking position and uninserted from the groove structure or the hole structure when in the avoiding position.

[0080] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 4As shown, the valve body 3 has a sealed mounting cavity 32 and a valve cavity 31 adjacent to the mounting cavity 32. The valve cavity 31 communicates with the gas environment on both sides of the valve to serve as a transfer port. The locking unit 2 is disposed in the mounting cavity 32. A first through hole (not shown in the figure) is provided on the side of the valve cavity near the mounting cavity. The first through hole is used for the valve plate 1 to pass through, so that the valve plate 1 can pass through the first through hole to reach the valve cavity 31 or the mounting cavity 32 during the switching between the valve open position and the valve closed position. When the valve plate 1 is in the valve open position, it is located inside the mounting cavity 32; when the valve plate 1 is in the valve closed position, it passes through the valve cavity 31 to block the gas environment on both sides.

[0081] by Fig. 4 Taking the valve shown as an example, the mounting cavity 32 can be located below the valve cavity 31; in this way, when the valve plate 1 driving device fails and the valve plate 1 falls due to its own weight, the limiting rod 21 in the locking unit 2 can support the valve plate 1, thereby preventing it from falling.

[0082] Furthermore, the arithmetic circuit in the aforementioned control unit can also be housed inside the mounting cavity 32. In this way, the arithmetic circuit in the control unit and precision components such as the electromagnetic coil 22 in the limit drive device can be housed inside the mounting cavity 32, isolated from the external gas environment, thereby improving the service life of the components. Moreover, in actual production, the locking unit 2 and control unit proposed in this embodiment can be added to the existing valve, allowing for improvements to the existing valve without affecting the structure of other equipment connected to it, thus reducing manufacturing costs.

[0083] As another technical solution, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor process equipment, such as... Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 As shown, the semiconductor process equipment includes multiple chambers; specifically, the semiconductor process equipment may include a transfer chamber 03, at least one process chamber 05 adjacent to the transfer chamber 03, a front-end chamber 04 communicating with the atmospheric environment, and a loading and unloading chamber 02 disposed between the transfer chamber 03 and the front-end chamber 04.

[0084] Furthermore, at least some adjacent chambers are equipped with valves 01 as described above to control the opening and closing of the connection between them. This prevents valve 01 from opening accidentally in the event of a failure in its power system, thus preventing the gas environment inside the two chambers from communicating when either chamber is in a state where valve 01 cannot be opened due to internal processes. This ensures normal process operation and reduces the risk of process accidents. Specifically, such as... Fig. 5 and Fig. 6As shown, the gate valve 01 can be arranged between the at least one process chamber 05 and the transfer chamber 03, between the transfer chamber 03 and the load / unload chamber 02, and between the load / unload chamber 02 and the front end chamber 04.

[0085] In the above, the gate valve and the semiconductor process equipment provided by the embodiments of the present application can avoid the gate valve from being accidentally opened when the power system of the valve plate fails by switching the limiting member to the locking position when the gate valve is closed, thereby ensuring the normal process and reducing the risk of process accidents.

[0086] It can be understood that the above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments for illustrating the principles of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. Various modifications and improvements can be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the present application, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A gate valve applied to a semiconductor process equipment; characterized in that, The utility model relates to a gate valve, comprising: a gate valve body having a transmission port; a valve plate movably arranged in the gate valve body; the valve plate has a closed valve position and an open valve position, and the valve plate switches between the closed valve position and the open valve position by moving; when in the closed valve position, the valve plate blocks the transmission port to block the communication of the gas environments on both sides of the transmission port; when in the open valve position, the valve plate is away from the transmission port; a locking unit arranged in the gate valve body; the locking unit comprises a movable limiting piece, and the limiting piece has a locking position and a avoiding position, and the limiting piece switches between the locking position and the avoiding position by moving; the limiting piece can block the valve plate from moving from the closed valve position to the open valve position when in the locking position, and the limiting piece can avoid the movement path of the valve plate when in the avoiding position.

2. The gate valve of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising a control unit and a pressure detection unit; the pressure detection unit is used for detecting the gas pressure on both sides of the transmission port and sending the detection result to the control unit; the control unit is used for judging whether the gas pressure states on both sides of the transmission port are consistent according to the received detection result when the valve plate is in the closed valve position, if not, controlling the limiting piece to switch to the locking position; if yes, controlling the limiting piece to switch to the avoiding position.

3. The gate valve of claim 1, wherein, the limiting piece comprises a limiting rod, and the limiting rod is located on the side of the valve plate away from the transmission port; the limiting rod can rotate around a specified axis to switch between the locking position and the avoiding position; when in the locking position, the end of the limiting rod close to the valve plate abuts against the valve plate; when in the avoiding position, the limiting rod avoids the movement path of the valve plate; the locking unit further comprises a limiting driving device; the limiting driving device is drivingly matched with the limiting rod and is used for driving the limiting rod to rotate.

4. The gate valve of claim 3, wherein, the limiting driving device comprises an electromagnetic coil and an elastic component; the electromagnetic coil and the elastic component are respectively located on both sides of the specified axis; one end of the elastic component is fixed, and the other end is connected with the limiting rod; the extension state of the elastic component satisfies that the limiting rod can be rotated to the avoiding position under the action of the elastic component without external force; the electromagnetic coil can be attracted to the limiting rod when electrically conducted; the position state of the electromagnetic coil satisfies that the limiting rod can be rotated to the locking position when attracted to the limiting rod.

5. The gate valve of claim 3, wherein, the valve plate comprises a valve plate body and a supporting protrusion; the supporting protrusion protrudes from the bottom surface of the valve plate body; the supporting protrusion is movably connected with the gate valve body, and the supporting protrusion can slide relative to the gate valve body along a specified direction; the specified direction is the direction from the closed valve position to the open valve position or the direction from the open valve position to the closed valve position; when in the locking position, the end of the limiting rod close to the valve plate abuts against the bottom end of the supporting protrusion; when in the avoiding position, the limiting rod rotates away from the supporting protrusion to avoid the movement path of the supporting protrusion.

6. The gate valve of claim 2, wherein, The pressure detection unit has two signal output ends, respectively used for outputting signals corresponding to pressure states of two sides of the transmission port; The control unit comprises an operation circuit; the operation circuit has a first input end, a second input end and an output end; the first input end and the second input end of the operation circuit are electrically connected with the two signal output ends of the pressure detection unit respectively, and the output end of the operation circuit is electrically connected with the locking unit; The operation circuit is used for judging whether the signals corresponding to the pressures of two sides of the transmission port are consistent, and outputs a second signal if consistent, or a first signal if inconsistent; one of the first signal and the second signal is a high-level signal, and the other is a low-level signal; In response to the first signal, the limiting piece is switched to the locking position; in response to the second signal, the limiting piece is switched to the avoiding position.

7. The gate valve of claim 6, wherein, The operation circuit comprises a first NAND gate chip, a second NAND gate chip, a third NAND gate chip and a fourth NAND gate chip; wherein, The two receiving ends of the first NAND gate chip are used as the first input end and the second input end of the operation circuit respectively, and are connected in series with one receiving end of the second NAND gate chip and the third NAND gate chip respectively; the other receiving end of the second NAND gate chip and the third NAND gate chip is connected in series with the output end of the first NAND gate chip; The two receiving ends of the fourth NAND gate chip are connected in series with the output ends of the second NAND gate chip and the third NAND gate chip respectively; the output end of the fourth NAND gate chip is used as the output end of the operation circuit.

8. The gate valve of claim 6, wherein, The operation circuit comprises an AND gate chip, an OR gate chip and a fifth NAND gate chip; wherein, One receiving end of the AND gate chip is connected in series with one receiving end of the OR gate chip, and is used as the first input end of the operation circuit together; the other receiving end of the AND gate chip is connected in series with the other receiving end of the OR gate chip, and is used as the second input end of the operation circuit together; The two receiving ends of the fifth NAND gate chip are connected in series with the output end of the AND gate chip and the output end of the OR gate chip respectively; the output end of the fifth NAND gate chip is used as the output end of the operation circuit.

9. The gate valve of claim 1, wherein, The gate valve body has a sealed installation cavity and a gate valve cavity arranged adjacent to the installation cavity; The locking unit is arranged in the installation cavity; the gate valve cavity is in communication with gas environments on two sides of the gate valve respectively, so as to be used as the transmission port; a first through hole is arranged on the side of the gate valve cavity close to the installation cavity; the first through hole is used for passing the valve plate; The valve plate is located inside the installation cavity when being in the open valve position; the valve plate penetrates the gate valve cavity when being in the closed valve position, so as to block the two gas environments.

10. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized by, The valve comprises a plurality of cavities; At least part of adjacent cavities are provided with the gate valve as claimed in any one of claims 1-9, for controlling the on-off between the two cavities.

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