Vacuum butterfly valve and semiconductor process cavity

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of valves, and discloses a vacuum butterfly valve and a semiconductor process cavity, the vacuum butterfly valve comprises a valve body, a valve rod, a butterfly plate and a driving mechanism, the butterfly plate is arranged in the valve body, the valve rod rotatably penetrates through the valve body and is connected with the butterfly plate, and the driving mechanism comprises a driving box, a driving motor, a first transmission assembly and a second transmission assembly. The driving box is connected to the valve body; the driving motor is connected to the driving box; the input end of the first transmission assembly is connected to a motor shaft of the driving motor; the input end of the second transmission assembly is connected to the output end of the first transmission assembly, the output end of the second transmission assembly is connected to the valve rod, and the second transmission assembly enables the rotating speed of the valve rod to be smaller than that of the motor shaft. According to the vacuum butterfly valve, the driving motor with lower precision can be adopted to drive the valve rod to rotate, the control precision is the same, meanwhile, the cost is lower, the precision of the driving motor is reduced, and the driving motor can work more stably and is not prone to being influenced by other factors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of valves, in particular to a vacuum butterfly valve and a semiconductor process cavity. Background Art

[0002] A butterfly valve is a valve whose closing part is a disc and rotates around the valve shaft to open and close. It is often used in semiconductor process chambers as a gas medium flow regulation or cut-off device. The closing part of a butterfly valve is generally called a butterfly plate.

[0003] When used in semiconductor vacuum chambers, butterfly valves can be used to control the flow of process gases and maintain the required vacuum environment. This requires precise control of the opening of the butterfly valve, that is, the rotation angle of the butterfly plate needs to be precisely adjusted between 0-90 degrees. The current butterfly plate is directly driven to rotate by a servo motor. Specifically, the motor shaft of the servo motor is coaxially connected to the valve stem of the butterfly valve. When the motor shaft of the servo motor rotates, the butterfly plate rotates the same angle as the motor shaft of the servo motor. However, the current high-precision servo motor is not only expensive, but the accuracy of the high-precision servo motor is also affected by multiple factors such as the accuracy of the encoder, the mechanical structure accuracy of the servo motor, and the stability of the power supply voltage, and the stability is poor.

[0004] Therefore, the above problems need to be solved urgently. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to provide a vacuum butterfly valve and a semiconductor process chamber, which can realize accurate control of the rotation angle of a butterfly plate while controlling production costs.

[0006] To achieve this purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A vacuum butterfly valve comprises a valve body, a valve stem, a butterfly plate and a driving mechanism, wherein the valve body is cylindrical, the butterfly plate is built into the valve body, the valve stem is rotatably arranged in the valve body, the valve stem is connected to the butterfly plate, the driving mechanism is connected to the valve stem, and the driving mechanism comprises:

[0008] A drive box connected to the valve body;

[0009] A driving motor, the driving motor is connected to the driving box;

[0010] a first transmission assembly, wherein an input end of the first transmission assembly is connected to a motor shaft of the drive motor, and the first transmission assembly is configured to convert a circular motion of the motor shaft into a linear motion output; and

[0011] A second transmission assembly, wherein the input end of the second transmission assembly is connected to the output end of the first transmission assembly, the output end of the second transmission assembly is connected to the valve stem, the second transmission assembly is configured to convert the linear motion output by the first transmission assembly into circular motion, and output it to the valve stem, and the second transmission assembly can decelerate so that the rotation speed of the valve stem is less than the rotation speed of the motor shaft.

[0012] Preferably, the first transmission assembly comprises:

[0013] a crank, one end of which is connected to the motor shaft, and the axial direction of the motor shaft is a first direction; and

[0014] A driving plate, wherein the driving plate is slidably connected to the inside of the driving box, and the driving plate slides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The other end of the crank is slidably connected to the driving plate, and the other end of the crank can slide relative to the driving plate in a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0015] Preferably, a limiting groove is provided on the driving plate along the third direction, and a limiting head is provided at the other end of the crank, and the limiting head can move inside the limiting groove.

[0016] Preferably, a bearing is sleeved on the outside of the limiting head, and the bearing can move inside the limiting groove.

[0017] Preferably, a limit rod is provided inside the driving box, the limit rod is arranged along the second direction, and the limit rod slides through the driving plate.

[0018] Preferably, an extension tube is provided on the driving plate, and the extension tube is sleeved on the outside of the limiting rod.

[0019] Preferably, the second transmission assembly comprises:

[0020] a rack connected to the driving plate, the rack being arranged in a direction parallel to the second direction; and

[0021] A gear, wherein the axis of the gear is parallel to the first direction, the gear is meshed with the rack, and the gear is coaxially connected to the valve stem.

[0022] Preferably, the drive box is open at one side away from the valve body and is covered with a motor base, and the drive motor is connected to the motor base.

[0023] A semiconductor process chamber comprises a chamber body, wherein the chamber body is connected to a vacuum pump through a pipeline, and the semiconductor process chamber further comprises a vacuum butterfly valve, wherein the vacuum butterfly valve is arranged on the pipeline.

[0024] Preferably, the semiconductor process chamber further comprises a control module, wherein the control module comprises a detection unit capable of detecting the internal pressure of the chamber body, and a control unit electrically connected to the detection unit and the drive motor respectively.

[0025] Beneficial effects of the utility model:

[0026] The vacuum butterfly valve of the utility model transmits the power output by the driving motor to the valve stem through the first transmission component and the second transmission component. By changing the two motion modes, it not only outputs the circular motion of the driving valve stem to rotate, but also has a certain deceleration effect, so that the rotation speed of the valve stem is less than the rotation speed of the motor shaft, so that when the vacuum butterfly valve is opened and closed, the rotation angle of the motor shaft needs to be greater than the rotation angle of the valve stem, so that a driving motor with lower precision can be used to drive the valve stem to rotate. While achieving the same control accuracy, the cost is lower, and the accuracy of the driving motor is reduced, which can make the driving motor work more stably and less susceptible to other factors.

[0027] The semiconductor process chamber of the utility model provides a vacuum butterfly valve on a pipeline connecting the chamber body to a vacuum pump, thereby facilitating accurate real-time adjustment of the opening of the vacuum butterfly valve according to the internal pressure of the chamber body, so that the interior of the chamber body reaches the set pressure as soon as possible. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the vacuum butterfly valve of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 2 It is an exploded view of the vacuum butterfly valve of the utility model.

[0030] In the figure:

[0031] 1. Valve body; 2. Valve stem; 3. Butterfly plate; 4. Drive box; 41. Limit rod; 42. Motor base; 43. Tension spring; 5. Drive motor; 6. First transmission assembly; 61. Crank; 611. Limit head; 612. Bearing; 62. Drive plate; 621. Limit groove; 622. Extension tube; 7. Second transmission assembly; 71. Rack; 72. Gear. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention, rather than all structures, are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0035] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper", "lower", "right", etc., are based on the directions or positions shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplified operation, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish in the description and have no special meaning.

[0036] Refer to the following Figure 1 to Figure 2 The vacuum butterfly valve and semiconductor process chamber provided by the utility model are described.

[0037] The semiconductor process chamber includes a chamber body, a control module and a vacuum butterfly valve. The chamber body is a vacuum chamber in semiconductor production and is widely used in CVD (chemical vapor deposition) equipment and ALD (atomic layer deposition) equipment. The chamber body is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown in the figure) through a pipeline (not shown in the figure), and the vacuum butterfly valve is installed in the pipeline to adjust the flow inside the pipeline.

[0038] Specifically, the control module includes a detection unit and a control unit. The detection unit and the vacuum butterfly valve are electrically connected to the control unit. Exemplarily, the detection unit is a pressure sensor (not shown in the figure), and the pressure sensor is arranged inside the cavity body. The control unit is a controller (not shown in the figure), which is arranged outside the cavity body. The pressure sensor and the vacuum butterfly valve are electrically connected to the controller. The internal pressure of the cavity body is monitored in real time by the pressure sensor. The controller compares the measured value of the pressure sensor with the internal pressure setting value of the cavity body, and accurately adjusts the opening of the vacuum butterfly valve in real time according to the comparison result, so that the inside of the cavity body reaches the set pressure as soon as possible. Please refer to the following content of this embodiment for the exemplary structure of the vacuum butterfly valve.

[0039] The vacuum butterfly valve comprises a valve body 1, a valve stem 2, a butterfly plate 3 and a driving mechanism. The valve body 1 is cylindrical, the butterfly plate 3 is built in the valve body 1, the valve stem 2 rotates and penetrates the valve body 1, the valve stem 2 is connected to the valve stem 2, and one end of the valve stem 2 extends out of the valve body 1. The driving mechanism is connected to the valve body 1, and the output end of the driving mechanism is connected to the valve stem 2. The driving mechanism drives the valve stem 2 to rotate, thereby driving the butterfly plate 3 to flip, thereby realizing the opening, closing and adjustment of the vacuum butterfly valve.

[0040] Specifically, the driving mechanism includes a driving box 4, a driving motor 5, a first transmission assembly 6 and a second transmission assembly 7. The driving box 4 is connected to the valve body 1. The side of the driving box 4 away from the valve body 1 is open and covered with a motor base 42. The motor base 42 is detachably connected to the driving box 4 by screws. The driving motor 5 is connected to the motor base 42, and the motor shaft of the driving motor 5 rotates through the motor base 42, and the axial direction of the motor shaft is in the first direction. The first transmission assembly 6 and the second transmission assembly 7 are both arranged inside the driving box 4.

[0041] The input end of the first transmission assembly 6 is connected to the motor shaft of the driving motor 5, and the first transmission assembly 6 is configured to convert the circular motion of the motor shaft into a linear motion output; specifically, the first transmission assembly 6 includes a crank 61 and a driving plate 62, the crank 61 is arranged perpendicular to the motor shaft, one end of the crank 61 is connected to the motor shaft, and the other end of the crank 61 is slidably connected to the driving plate 62.

[0042] Further, the driving plate 62 is slidably connected to the inside of the driving box 4. For example, a limit rod 41 is provided inside the driving box 4. The limit rod 41 is provided along the second direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and the limit rod 41 slides through the driving plate 62. The limit rod 41 slides through the driving plate 62, so that the driving plate 62 is slidably connected to the driving box 4, and the limit rod 41 guides and limits the driving plate 62. The driving plate 62 can also be limited and guided by a slider and a slide rail that fit together, and the specific form is not limited.

[0043] In addition, the drive plate 62 is connected with an extension tube 622, which is coaxially sleeved outside the limit rod 41 and slidably matched with the limit rod 41. The extension tube 622 increases the contact area between the limit rod 41 and the drive plate 62, thereby improving the guiding effect of the drive plate 62.

[0044] Furthermore, a limiting groove 621 is arranged on the driving plate 62 along a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. A limiting head 611 is arranged at the other end of the crank 61, and a bearing 612 is arranged on the outer sleeve of the limiting head 611. The bearing 612 can slide along the third direction inside the limiting groove 621. The bearing 612 can reduce the wear of the limiting head 611 and improve the service life of the limiting head 611.

[0045] Based on the above, when the first transmission assembly 6 is working, the crank 61 is driven to swing by driving the motor 5. Since the bearing 612 at the other end of the crank 61 can only slide along the third direction relative to the driving plate 62, the crank 61 abuts against the driving plate 62 when swinging, and pushes the driving plate 62 to move. The driving plate 62 limited by the limiting rod 41 can only slide along the second direction, thereby converting the circular motion of the motor shaft into a linear motion output.

[0046] The input end of the second transmission assembly 7 is connected to the output end of the first transmission assembly 6, and the output end of the second transmission assembly 7 is connected to the valve stem 2. The second transmission assembly 7 is configured to convert the linear motion output by the first transmission assembly 6 into a circular motion and output it to the valve stem 2. The second transmission assembly 7 can reduce speed so that the rotation speed of the valve stem 2 is less than the rotation speed of the motor shaft. Specifically, the second transmission assembly 7 includes a rack 71 and a gear 72. The rack 71 is connected to the drive plate 62, and the rack 71 is arranged in a direction parallel to the second direction. The gear 72 is coaxially connected to the valve stem 2, and the axis of the gear 72 is parallel to the first direction. The gear 72 is meshed with the rack 71.

[0047] Based on the above, when the driving plate 62 slides in the second direction, the driving plate 62 drives the rack 71 to move synchronously, thereby driving the gear 72 to rotate, and the rotation of the gear 72 drives the valve stem 2 to rotate synchronously, thereby realizing the flipping of the butterfly plate 3. The transmission ratio between the gear 72 and the rack 71 can be achieved by adjusting the number of teeth of the gear 72, so that the second transmission assembly 7 can reduce speed.

[0048] Further, the rotation speed of the motor shaft is 1.5 to 2 times the rotation speed of the valve stem 2, that is, the rotation angle of the motor shaft in the same time period is 1.5 to 2 times the rotation angle of the valve stem 2, and the preferred rotation angle in this embodiment is 2 times, that is, in this embodiment, the other end of the crank 61 swings from one end close to the limit rod 41 to the other end close to the limit rod 41, and the motor shaft of the drive motor 5 rotates 180 degrees. During this process, the sliding stroke of the drive plate 62 is the maximum stroke of the drive plate 62, that is, the maximum stroke of the rack 71. When the rack 71 follows the sliding stroke of the drive plate 62 to reach the maximum stroke, the angle of rotation of the gear 72 is 90 degrees, and the accuracy of the motor shaft rotation angle only needs to reach half of the previous one, that is, the motor shaft rotation angle in the prior art needs to be accurate to 1 degree, while the motor shaft rotation angle in this embodiment only needs to be accurate to 2 degrees to achieve the same effect. On this basis, the accuracy requirements for the drive motor 5 can be reduced, the procurement cost is greatly reduced, and the drive motor 5 works more stably.

[0049] Furthermore, a tension spring 43 is connected between the drive plate 62 and the side wall of the drive box 4, the axial direction of the tension spring 43 is parallel to the second direction, and two tension springs 43 are arranged in parallel. By arranging the tension spring 43, the drive plate 62 is always provided with a pulling force toward one end of the limit rod 41, that is, the drive plate 62 will be more stable and less likely to move after reaching one end of the limit rod 41. This position corresponds to the fully open or fully closed position of the butterfly plate 3, so the stability of the butterfly plate 3 when it is fully open or fully closed can be improved. When the butterfly plate 3 is in the fully open or fully closed position, the drive plate 62 corresponds to the two ends of the limit rod 41 respectively, so the position of the tension spring 43 can be selected according to the usage scenario to improve the stability of the butterfly plate 3 when it is fully open or when it is fully closed.

[0050] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to list all implementation methods here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum butterfly valve, comprising a valve body (1), a valve stem (2), a butterfly plate (3) and a driving mechanism, wherein the valve body (1) is cylindrical, the butterfly plate (3) is built in the valve body (1), the valve stem (2) is rotatably arranged in the valve body (1), the valve stem (2) is connected to the butterfly plate (3), and the driving mechanism is connected to the valve stem (2), characterized in that: The driving mechanism comprises: A drive box (4), the drive box (4) being connected to the valve body (1); A driving motor (5), wherein the driving motor (5) is connected to the driving box (4); a first transmission assembly (6), the input end of the first transmission assembly (6) being connected to the motor shaft of the drive motor (5), the first transmission assembly (6) being configured to convert the circular motion of the motor shaft into a linear motion output; and A second transmission component (7), wherein the input end of the second transmission component (7) is connected to the output end of the first transmission component (6), and the output end of the second transmission component (7) is connected to the valve stem (2). The second transmission component (7) is configured to convert the linear motion output by the first transmission component (6) into circular motion and output it to the valve stem (2). The second transmission component (7) can decelerate so that the rotation speed of the valve stem (2) is less than the rotation speed of the motor shaft.

2. The vacuum butterfly valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first transmission assembly (6) comprises: a crank (61), one end of the crank (61) being connected to the motor shaft, the axial direction of the motor shaft being a first direction; and A driving plate (62), wherein the driving plate (62) is slidably connected to the inside of the driving box (4), and the driving plate (62) slides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The other end of the crank (61) is slidably connected to the driving plate (62), and the other end of the crank (61) can slide relative to the driving plate (62) in a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

3. The vacuum butterfly valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: A limiting groove (621) is provided on the driving plate (62) along the third direction, and a limiting head (611) is provided at the other end of the crank (61), and the limiting head (611) is capable of moving inside the limiting groove (621).

4. The vacuum butterfly valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: A bearing (612) is sleeved on the outside of the limiting head (611), and the bearing (612) is capable of moving inside the limiting groove (621).

5. The vacuum butterfly valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: A limiting rod (41) is arranged inside the driving box (4), the limiting rod (41) is arranged along the second direction, and the limiting rod (41) slides through the driving plate (62).

6. The vacuum butterfly valve according to claim 5, characterized in that: An extension tube (622) is provided on the driving plate (62), and the extension tube (622) is sleeved on the outside of the limiting rod (41).

7. The vacuum butterfly valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second transmission assembly (7) comprises: a rack (71), the rack (71) being connected to the driving plate (62), the rack (71) being arranged in a direction parallel to the second direction; and A gear (72), wherein the axis of the gear (72) is parallel to the first direction, the gear (72) is meshed with the rack (71), and the gear (72) is coaxially connected to the valve stem (2).

8. The vacuum butterfly valve according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The driving box (4) is openly arranged at one side away from the valve body (1) and is covered with a motor base (42). The driving motor (5) is connected to the motor base (42).

9. A semiconductor process chamber, comprising a chamber body, wherein the chamber body is connected to a vacuum pump through a pipeline, wherein: The semiconductor process chamber further comprises a vacuum butterfly valve as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vacuum butterfly valve is arranged on the pipeline.

10. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 9, characterized in that: The semiconductor process chamber further includes a control module, wherein the control module includes a detection unit capable of detecting the internal pressure of the chamber body, and a control unit electrically connected to the detection unit and the driving motor respectively.

Images