Gas box and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of opening or closing a flow path that is opened or closed with rotation of a valve while maintaining airtightness of a first housing, in a gas box in which the flow path is provided inside the first housing.SOLUTION: A gas box includes: a first housing having a flow path for a fluid provided therein; a valve to open or close the flow path with rotation of a rotating part; a first opening part provided in a first wall part that forms the first housing; a coupling mechanism including an elastic body and a first engaging part engaged with the rotating part to connect the rotating part and the first wall part, the coupling mechanism being provided to face the first opening part so as to rotate together with the rotating part by torque applied from outside the first housing; and a first seal part included in the coupling mechanism and biased from the first engaging part toward the first wall part by the elastic body to seal the first opening part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a gas box and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs processing on a substrate, there is a step of supplying a gas to a processing chamber to process the substrate. The gas used for processing the substrate is supplied into the processing chamber through a flow path from a gas box including, for example, a gas line and an on-off valve. Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration with enhanced safety for a gas box that houses a gas line including a manual on-off valve and an automatic on-off valve.

[0003] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the internal space of the gas box is partitioned into an operation chamber and a non-operation chamber portion by a partition. The automatic on-off valve is in the non-operation chamber portion, and for the manual on-off valve, its main body portion is housed in the non-operation chamber portion, and its operation portion is housed in the operation chamber. The non-operation chamber portion has a discharge function for discharging the internal atmosphere. Even if there is a gas leak from the manual on-off valve, the gas can be discharged, and it is described that the safety of operating the manual on-off valve is high. Further, an opening that is opened and closed by a detachable lid is provided in the operation chamber, and it is described that the lid can be removed independently from the non-operation portion to operate the operation portion of the manual on-off valve.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for opening and closing a flow path provided inside a first housing of a gas box that is opened and closed by rotation of a valve while maintaining the airtightness of the first housing.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a first housing in which a fluid flow path is provided inside; a valve including a rotating part that opens and closes the flow path by rotation of the rotating part; a first opening provided in a first wall part forming the first housing; an elastic body and a first engaging part that engages with the rotating part, connecting the rotating part and the first wall part, and a coupling mechanism provided facing the first opening so as to rotate together with the rotating part by application of torque from the outside of the first housing; a first sealing part included in the coupling mechanism, biased by the elastic body from the first engaging part toward the first wall part to seal the first opening; and includes a gas box.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, regarding a gas box in which a flow path opened and closed by rotation of a valve is provided inside a first housing, the flow path can be opened and closed while maintaining the airtightness of the first housing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

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Figure 12

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Figure 21

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Figure 25

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] <Semiconductor Manufacturing Apparatus> Hereinafter, the gas box 2 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view schematically showing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 including the gas box 2. As shown in this figure, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a processing container 11 that stores and processes a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) W, which is a substrate for semiconductor manufacturing. Inside the processing container 11, a mounting table 12 on which the wafer W is placed is provided.

[0010] A shower head 13 is disposed in a region facing the mounting table 12 in the processing container 11. The shower head 13 is configured to discharge the first processing gas supplied from the gas box 2 through the flow path 31 in a shower-like manner toward the wafer W placed on the mounting table 12. In this way, a predetermined process is performed on the wafer W by the first gas in the processing container 11. Examples of the process performed on the wafer W include an etching process, a film forming process, an ashing process, and the like.

[0011] (First Embodiment of Gas Box) Subsequently, a configuration example of the gas box 2 will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gas box 2 includes a tank 3 that stores a liquid serving as a raw material for the first gas, a first housing 21 provided so as to surround the tank 3, and a second housing 22 provided so as to surround the first housing 21. Hereinafter, in the gas box 2, the front-rear direction will be described as the “X direction”, the left-right direction that horizontally intersects the front-rear direction as the “Y direction”, and the up-down direction as the “Z direction”.

[0012] The tank 3 is provided with a gas flow path 31 and a valve 4 for opening and closing this flow path 31, and is configured such that the valve 4 can be opened and closed from the outside of the second housing 22. Such a tank 3, the first housing 21, and the second housing 22 are each configured in a rectangular shape in plan view, for example, as shown in FIG. 2. As shown in these figures, the valve 4 is provided on the side wall 32 of the tank 3, and the wall portion of the first housing 21 facing this side wall 32 is defined as the first wall portion 23, and the wall portion of the second housing 22 facing the first wall portion is defined as the second wall portion 24.

[0013] The first wall portion 23 and the second wall portion 24 are arranged to face each other with a gap in the front-rear direction. The portion of the first housing 21 other than the first wall portion 23 is defined as the first housing main body 231, and the portion of the second housing 22 other than the second wall portion 24 is defined as the second housing main body 241. The first housing main body 231 and the second housing main body 241 are boxes that open laterally. The first wall portion 23 and the second wall portion 24 are detachably attached to the first housing main body 231 and the second housing main body 241 by, for example, screws (not shown), and in the attached state, they close the openings of the above-described boxes.

[0014] The first wall portion 23 and the second wall portion 24 are each detachably attached to the first housing main body 231 and the second housing main body 241 as described above in order to open one surface of the first housing 21 and the second housing 22 and accommodate the tank 3 and piping therein or perform maintenance on them. Since these first wall portion 23 and second wall portion 24 are each screwed to the housing main bodies 231 and 232, they are in a determined positional relationship with each other. Hereinafter, regarding the front-rear direction (X direction), the side of the tank 3 will be described as the front side, and the side of the second wall portion 24 will be described as the rear side.

[0015] The first housing 21 is connected to a supply source 251 of an inert gas, for example, nitrogen (N2) gas, via a supply path 25 provided with a valve V1, and is connected to an exhaust mechanism 261 provided with an exhaust pump and a valve via a first exhaust path 26. Thus, the inside of the first housing 21 is supplied with and exhausted of N2 gas, and is set to a preset pressure. Further, the second housing 22 is connected to an exhaust line of the factory where the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is installed via the second exhaust passage 27, or an exhaust mechanism 271 including an exhaust pump and a valve. Thus, the interior of the second housing 22, that is, the space between the first housing 21 and the second housing 22 is exhausted, and is set to a pressure (negative pressure) lower than the pressure inside the first housing 21.

[0016] Since the interior of the first housing 21 is filled with N2 gas, the oxygen (O2) concentration inside the first housing 21 is low. Therefore, when there is a concern that the gas generated in the tank 3 as described later may react with the atmosphere like a spontaneous combustion material, even if gas leaks from the tank 3 or the valve 4, ignition inside the first housing 21 is prevented. Further, even if a gas leak occurs, since it is exhausted together with the N2 gas, the safety is high. On the other hand, the first wall portion 23 is screwed, and a slight gap is formed at this connection portion. For this reason, a part of the N2 gas inside the first housing 21 enters the second housing 22 set to negative pressure, but this gas is quickly exhausted to the outside of the second housing 22 through the second exhaust passage 27, preventing gas leakage to the outside of the gas box 2.

[0017] (Tank) As shown in FIG. 3, the tank 3 stores, for example, a liquid 30 serving as a raw material for a gas inside thereof, and includes a heating unit 33 for heating the liquid 30. For example, the heating unit 33 is embedded in the side wall 32 and the bottom wall 34 of the tank 3. The heated liquid 30 is vaporized by the supply of a carrier gas, which is an inert gas described later, and the first gas is generated. In this example, the first gas is supplied to the processing container 11 together with the carrier gas.

[0018] Therefore, the tank 3 is connected with a first flow path 35 for supplying the liquid 30 to the tank 3, a second flow path 36 for supplying a carrier gas to the tank 3, and a third flow path 31 for supplying the first gas and the carrier gas from the tank 3 to the processing container 11. These first flow path 35, second flow path 36, and third flow path 31 correspond to the flow paths of the fluid that becomes gas. The upstream sides of these first flow path 35 and second flow path 36 are respectively connected to a storage source 351 of the liquid 30 and a supply source 361 of a carrier gas such as argon (Ar) gas, and the downstream side of the third flow path 31 is connected to the shower head 13 of the processing container 11.

[0019] Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, valves 4A, 4B, and 4C for opening and closing the respective flow paths are provided in these first flow path 35, second flow path 36, and third flow path 31. As shown in FIG. 2, these valves 4A, 4B, and 4C are all provided on the side wall 32 of the tank 3 facing the first wall portion 23. Since the valves 4A, 4B, and 4C are similarly configured, here, the valve 4C provided in the third flow path 31 will be described as an example. Hereinafter, the valve 4C may be referred to as "valve 4", and the third flow path 31 may be referred to as "flow path 31".

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the valve 4 is, for example, a ball valve, and a ball 42 provided in a main body portion 41 rotates around a horizontal rotation axis as the rotation portion 43 rotates, so that the flow path 31 can be opened and closed. Note that the rotation of the rotation portion 43 is the same as the rotation direction of the ball 42. An opening 421 is formed in the center of the ball 42. In the state where the valve 4 is closed, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening 421 does not correspond to the flow path 31, and is set to block the flow path 31 on the outer surface of the ball 42. Also, in the position where the flow path 31 shown in FIG. 6 is opened, the opening 421 is set to be connected to the flow path 31.

[0021] The rotating part 43 in this example is provided with a first recess 44 that opens toward the first wall part 23. The first recess 44 includes a bottom surface 441 that is flat in the vertical direction (Z direction) and side surfaces 442 that extend in the opening direction, and the rotation center of the first recess 44 is formed to align with the rotation center of the rotating part 43. Further, in the first recess 44, the tip side in the opening direction of the side surface 442 (the rear side in the X direction) constitutes the opening edge 443 of the first recess 44 (see FIG. 6). The opening direction is the depth direction of the first recess 44, which is the direction opposite to the bottom surface 441 of the first recess 44, and is the X direction in the example shown in FIG. 5. The first recess 44 is configured to be rotated by the application of torque from the outside of the second housing 22 via a coupling mechanism 50 described later. Therefore, the shape of the first recess 44 will be described together with the coupling mechanism 50.

[0022] (Coupling mechanism) Next, the coupling mechanism 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11. The coupling mechanism 50 includes a first engaging part 5, an elastic body 64, and a first sealing part 7. First, the outline of this coupling mechanism 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 4, which is a perspective view. Regarding the coupling mechanism 50, in order to enable an operator to rotate the rotating part 43 of the valve 4 from the outside of the second housing 22, it is configured to enter and engage within the first recess 44 and to be exposed to the outside of the first housing 21 through an opening 230 (described later) of the first wall part 23.

[0023] The coupling mechanism 50 is configured such that when an operator applies torque through the opening 230 using a jig (hexagonal wrench 65) that enters from the outside of the second housing 22 into the second housing 22, the coupling mechanism 50 rotates, and accordingly, the rotating part 43 of the valve 4 also rotates. Since it is necessary to prevent gas leakage from within the first housing 21 as described above, the coupling mechanism 50 has a structure that seals the opening 230 of the first wall part 23 to make the inside of the first housing 21 airtight. Therefore, the coupling mechanism 50 is provided within the first housing 21 so as to connect the rotating part 43 of the valve 4 and the first wall part 23.

[0024] Also, when assembling the first housing 21 as will be described in detail later, when attaching the first wall portion 23 to the first housing body 231, the coupling mechanism 50 provided on the first wall portion 23 is inserted into the first recess 44 of the rotating portion 43 in the valve 4, thereby forming the above-described engagement. At this time, the tip portion (first engaging portion 5) of the coupling mechanism 50 that forms this engagement is configured to be swingable so that this engagement can be formed even if there is a displacement of the tank 3 (that is, a displacement of the first recess 44) within the first housing body 231.

[0025] To explain the coupling mechanism 50 in detail, the first wall portion 23 of the first housing will be supplemented and explained. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an outer frame portion 6 that rotatably surrounds the coupling mechanism 50 is connected to the first wall portion 23. This outer frame portion 6 is made of, for example, resin to ensure the above-mentioned sealing property, and includes an annular flange portion 61 connected to the first wall portion 23 and a cylindrical portion 62 that protrudes horizontally from the first wall portion 23 toward the inside (front side) of the first wall portion 23.

[0026] The proximal end side (the first wall portion 23 side) of the cylindrical portion 62 is configured as an annular portion 63 that protrudes toward the inside of the outer frame portion 6, and the tip of the annular portion 63 is formed as an annular surface 631. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a through hole 231 is provided in the first wall portion 23. In this example, when the outer frame portion 6 is connected to the first wall portion 23, the peripheral surface of the through hole 231 and the inner surface of the annular portion 63 are configured to be continuous, and a first opening 230 is formed by the through hole 231 and the opening formed by the annular portion 63.

[0027] Next, the first seal portion 7 that constitutes the coupling mechanism 50 will be described. The first seal portion 7 has a role of closing the first opening 230. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the first seal portion 7 is configured by combining a cylindrical portion 71 that is rotatably fitted to the outer frame portion 6 and a cylindrical tubular portion 72 provided on the front side of the cylindrical portion 71. The cylindrical portion 71 is fitted into the first opening 230 so as to form a slight gap with the annular portion 63.

[0028] The tubular portion 72 is configured in a circular shape when viewed from the front side (the side of the tank 3), and its diameter is formed larger than that of the cylindrical portion 71. The central axis of the cylindrical portion 71 is located on the extension of the central axis of the tubular portion 72. Thereby, the connection portion between the cylindrical portion 71 and the tubular portion 72 becomes a stepped portion, and the surface formed by this stepped portion is formed along the surface 631 on the tip side of the annular portion 63 and is configured as an annular seal surface 73 that contacts the surface 631. Further, the tubular portion 72 is provided with a second recess 74 that opens toward the front side. The second recess 74 includes a flat bottom surface 741 in the YZ plane and a side surface 742 that extends in the opening direction. The first engaging portion 5 is provided in the second recess 74 via an elastic body 64. The opening direction (depth direction) of the second recess 74 is the X direction in the examples shown in FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, the first engaging portion 5 is composed of a cylindrical member 59 that linearly extends in the front-rear direction (X direction) and a total of four protrusions (521, 541) provided on the cylindrical member 59. The tip side of the first engaging portion 5 forms an entering portion 51 that enters into the first recess 44 of the rotating portion 43 in the valve 4 and engages with the first recess 44. The entering portion 51 in this example is composed of the front portion (the first linear portion that linearly extends) 52 of the cylindrical member 59 and two first protrusions 521. It should be noted that when the engagement is formed, the tip 53 of the cylindrical member 59 that forms a flat surface contacts the bottom surface 441 of the first recess 44.

[0030] Regarding each of the first protrusions 521, it protrudes from the side surface of the cylindrical member 59 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction (X direction) of the cylindrical member 59. That is, the first protrusion 521 is provided so as to protrude in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the first straight portion (front portion 52 of the cylindrical member 59). These first protrusions 521 are formed at positions 180 degrees apart from each other around the cylindrical member 59, and are provided at the same position in the axial direction of the cylindrical member 59. More specifically, regarding each of the first protrusions 521, it is provided at a position slightly closer to the base end side from the tip 53 of the cylindrical member 59.

[0031] And regarding each of the first protrusions 521, it is circular when viewed in the protruding direction, and the diameter is reduced toward the protruding end, and is generally semi-circular in side view. Due to such a shape and the fact that the first engaging portion 5 is swingable, the assembly of the first housing 21 is facilitated. When assembling the first housing 21, the entry portion 51 is made to enter the first recess 44 in the rotating portion 43 of the valve 4 to form an engagement. At this time, even if the first protrusion 521 abuts against the opening edge 443 of the first recess 44, it slides without being caught by the opening edge 443 and enters the first recess 44. Thus, regarding the first protrusion 521, it has a shape that facilitates the assembly of the first housing 21.

[0032] The tip side of the cylindrical member 59 from the position where the first protrusion 521 is provided becomes tapered toward the tip 53 of the cylindrical member 59. As a result, the side circumferential surface at the tip portion of the cylindrical member 59 forms an inclined surface 531 inclined with respect to the extending direction (X direction) of the cylindrical member 59, and the inclined surface 531 is continuous with the flat surface formed by the tip 53 of the cylindrical member 59. The provision of the inclined surface 531 in this way also contributes to facilitating the assembly of the first housing 21. Specifically, even if the cylindrical member 59 abuts against the opening edge 443 of the first recess 44 of the valve 4 during the assembly, the cylindrical member 59 can enter the first recess 44 by the inclined surface 531 sliding on the opening edge 443.

[0033] Further, the rear part (the second straight part extending linearly) 54 of the cylindrical member 59 is an area to be accommodated within the second recess 74 of the cylindrical part 72. In this area, two second protrusions 541 are formed so as to protrude from the side surface of the cylindrical member 59 in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the cylindrical member 59. That is, the second protrusions 541 are provided so as to protrude in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the second straight part (the rear part 54 of the cylindrical member 59). These second protrusions 541 are formed at positions 180 degrees apart from each other around the cylindrical member 59 and are provided at the same position in the axial direction of the cylindrical member 59. More specifically, each second protrusion 541 is provided, for example, at a position slightly closer to the tip side from the base end of the first engagement part 5.

[0034] The second protrusion 541 has the same shape as the first protrusion 521. As will be described later, due to the swinging of the tip side of the cylindrical member 59, the second protrusion 541 will swing within a groove 743 (described later) connected to the second recess 74. By making the second protrusion 541 have the above shape, the resistance when it comes into contact with the wall of the groove 743 is suppressed, and the swinging is not hindered. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed in the axial direction of the cylindrical member 59, the second protrusion 541 is provided at a position that overlaps approximately, although it is slightly shifted in the circumferential direction from the first protrusion 521.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, a third recess 55 is formed in the rear part 54 of the cylindrical member 59. For this third recess 55, the opening direction (depth direction) is aligned with the extending direction of the cylindrical member 59, and it is formed so as to open toward the bottom surface 741 of the second recess 74 within the second recess 74. And the bottom surface 551 of the third recess 55 is formed so as to face the bottom surface 741 of the second recess 74.

[0036] An elastic body 64 is interposed between such a third recess 55 and the second recess 74. The elastic body 64 is, for example, a spring that expands and contracts in the front-rear direction, and both ends thereof are arranged to contact the bottom surface 551 of the third recess 55 and the bottom surface 741 of the second recess 74, respectively. Thus, the side surface of the third recess 55 is configured to surround the elastic body 64, and this configuration prevents displacement between the elastic body 64 and the cylindrical member 59. More specifically, this displacement prevents the elastic body 64 from coming off the cylindrical member 59 (the elastic body 64 no longer being positioned in the extension direction of the cylindrical member 59), thereby preventing the sealing effect utilizing the elastic body 64 from being lost.

[0037] Returning to the description of the first seal portion 7, the second recess 74 is circular when viewed from the tank side 3 in order to accommodate the cylindrical member 59. A groove 743 corresponding to the second protrusion 541 of the first engaging portion 5 is formed on the side surface 742 of the second recess 74, and the second protrusion 541 of the first engaging portion 5 has entered this groove 743. Accordingly, the groove 743 is provided at two positions corresponding to the second protrusion 541 in the second recess 74, extends along the opening direction of the second recess 74 and from the opening to the bottom surface 741 of the second recess 74, and is formed to face each other with the center of the second recess 74 interposed therebetween.

[0038] The relationship between the second recess 74 and the rear portion 54 of the cylindrical member 59 in the first engaging portion 5 is shown in FIG. 10. This figure is a longitudinal sectional view taken from the tank 3 side at the position cut along the line A-A in FIG. 5. Thus, the side surface 742 of the second recess 74 is formed to cover the rear portion 54 of the cylindrical member 59 and the second protrusion 541 with a gap 76 therebetween. This gap 76 is set to be substantially the same size along the circumference of the rear portion 54, for example, in a state where the rotation axes of the cylindrical member 59 and the second recess 74 are aligned.

[0039] Thus, the first engaging portion 5 is provided in the second recess 74 of the first sealing portion 7 via the elastic body 64, and in this case, it is set such that a pressing force is applied to the first engaging portion 5 by the elastic body 64. For this reason, a regulating plate 75 is attached to the tip of the first sealing portion 7 by screws 751. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, this regulating plate 75 is provided with openings 752 having a shape corresponding to the cylindrical member 59 and each protrusion (the first protrusion 521 and the second protrusion 541).

[0040] When attaching the regulating plate 75 to the first sealing portion 7, the front portion (the first straight portion) 52 of the cylindrical member 59 and the first protrusion 521 are passed through the opening 752 and projected to the front side of the regulating plate 75. Then, the regulating plate 75 is rotated with respect to the cylindrical member 59 and fixed to the first sealing portion 7 by screws 751 at a position where the second protrusion 541 does not pass through the opening 752. That is, the regulating plate 75 is fixed to the first sealing portion 7 so as to close the front end of the groove 743 provided in the first sealing portion 7. In FIGS. 8 and 9, reference numerals 753 and 754 are screw holes formed in the regulating plate 75 and the first sealing portion 7, respectively.

[0041] When the first engaging portion 5 has not entered the first recess 44 of the valve 4 and they are not engaged with each other, in the first sealing portion 7, a pressing force is applied to the first engaging portion 5 forward by the elastic body 64, but the second protrusion 541 abuts against the regulating plate 75 (see FIG. 7). Thereby, the first engaging portion 5 is prevented from detaching from the first sealing portion 7 toward the front side. When the first engaging portion 5 is pressed rearward against the biasing force of the elastic body 64, the rear end (base end) of the first engaging portion 5 can be moved toward the bottom surface 741 of the second recess 74 of the first sealing portion 7.

[0042] Furthermore, a second engaging portion 77 is formed in the first seal portion 7 so as to be exposed to the first opening 230. The second engaging portion 77 engages with, for example, a hexagonal wrench 65 which is a jig for applying torque from the outside of the first housing 21. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 9, the second engaging portion 77 is configured as a recess having a shape into which the hexagonal wrench 65 is inserted at the center of the bottom surface 711 of the cylindrical portion 71, and is formed so as to open toward the first opening 230.

[0043] Regarding the first engaging portion 5 described above, it is accommodated in the first seal portion 7 with a gap 76 therebetween, and the proximal end side is supported by the elastic body 64. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, in a state where the engagement between the first engaging portion 5 and the rotating portion 43 is not formed, by applying a force to the first engaging portion 5, the distal end side of the first engaging portion 5 is configured to be swingable with respect to the proximal end side. This swingable direction is not limited to the vertical direction shown in the figure, but is a full 360-degree direction such as the left-right direction and the diagonal direction.

[0044] And the swingable range is set to a range capable of absorbing the displacement of the tank 3 in the first housing 21 as described later. The central axis L of the second recess 74 of the first seal portion 7 is shown in FIG. 11. And the central axis of the cylindrical member 59 in the state where the inclination is the largest with respect to this central axis L is shown as L1. A gap 76 is formed between the first engaging portion 5 and the seal portion 7 so that the inclination θ between these central axes L and L1 is, for example, 10 degrees or more.

[0045] <Valve> Here, returning to the description of the valve 4, the shape of the first recess 44 provided in the valve 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 12. FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view seen from the first wall portion 23 side at the position cut along the line B - B in FIG. 5. As described above, the first recess 44 includes a bottom surface 441 and a side surface 442. And in accordance with the shape of the first engaging portion 5, it includes a main portion 45 into which the front portion 52 of the cylindrical member 59 enters, and a sub-portion 451 into which the first protrusion 521 enters, and the sub-portion 451 is formed to protrude from the main portion 45.

[0046] Thus, by forming the first engaging portion 5 with the first protrusion 521 and forming the auxiliary portion 451 in the first recess 44 according to this shape, the first engaging portion 5 engages with the first recess 44 while being circumferentially positioned with respect to the first recess 44. Thereby, as will be described later, by applying torque to the first engaging portion 5 from the outside of the first housing 23, the torque is transmitted to the first recess 44 as the first engaging portion 5 rotates, and the first recess 44 rotates together. In this way, by the rotation of the first recess 44, the valve 4 can be switched between the closed state shown in FIG. 5 and the open state shown in FIG. 6.

[0047] Further, a region from the opening edge 443 to the bottom surface 441 side on the side surface 442 of the first recess 44 is configured as an inclined surface 47 that is inclined with respect to the opening direction of the first recess 44 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). This inclined surface 47 is formed such that the opening area of the first recess 44 increases from the bottom surface 441 side of the first recess 44 toward the opening edge 443. Note that the inclined surface 47 is omitted in FIG. 4.

[0048] This inclined surface 47, similar to the inclined surface 531 of the cylindrical member 59 in the first engaging portion 5, serves to guide the entry portion 51 of the first engaging portion 5 into the first recess 44 when assembling the first housing 21 by allowing the entry portion 51 of the first engaging portion 5 to enter the first recess 44. That is, even if the edge of the entry portion 51 abuts against the opening edge 443 of the first recess 44 during assembly, the entry portion 51 can slide along this inclined surface 47 and enter the inner side of the first recess 44, thus facilitating the assembly. Note that although the inclined surface 47 of the first recess 44, the inclined surface 531 in the first engaging portion 5 described above, and the shape of the first protrusion 521 have been described as facilitating the assembly of the first housing 21, they also contribute to increasing the allowable amount of displacement of the tank 3.

[0049] In a state where the entrance portion 51 has entered the first concave portion 44, a gap 46 is formed between the main portion 45 and the cylindrical member 59, and between the sub-portion 451 and the first protrusion 521, respectively. By designing each part so that such a gap 46 is formed, the first engaging portion 5 easily enters the first concave portion 44. However, this gap 46 is set to a size such that the first protrusion 521 does not move from the sub-portion 451 to the main portion 45 when the first engaging portion 5 rotates, and the first concave portion 44 is configured to rotate along with the rotation of the first engaging portion 5.

[0050] <Second housing> Subsequently, the second housing 22 will be described. A third opening 240 is provided in the second wall portion 24 facing the first wall portion 23 of the second housing 22 so as to face the first opening 230. This third opening 240 is formed to allow a hexagon wrench 65 to enter the second housing 24 from the outside of the second housing 24. Further, the third opening 240 is provided with a second seal portion 28 which is an elastic body for closing and sealing the third opening 240. The second seal portion 28 has a structure including a thick annular portion 282 formed along and fixed to the edge of the third opening 240, and a circular thin portion 283 provided surrounded by the annular portion. For example, a grommet can be used.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a plurality of cuts extending radially from the center are formed in the thin portion 283 of the second seal portion 28, thereby forming a plurality of fan-shaped seal pieces 281 provided along the circumference of the third opening 240. In the figure, an example is shown in which the cuts are formed in a cross shape, and four seal pieces 281 are provided. As shown in FIG. 5, when the hexagonal wrench 65 does not enter the third opening 240, the tips of the seal pieces 281 contact each other at the center of the third opening 240. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the hexagonal wrench 65 enters the third opening 240, the tips of the seal pieces 281 are separated from each other and formed to face the first wall portion 23. In the state where the hexagonal wrench 65 is inserted in this way, each seal piece 281 adheres to the hexagonal wrench 65 by the restoring force of the elastic body, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the sealing performance inside the second housing 22 due to the entry of the hexagonal wrench 65.

[0052] Furthermore, a window portion 29 is formed in the second wall portion 24 so that the inside can be visually observed from the outside of the second housing 24. This window portion 29 is provided to show the open / closed state of the valve 4 to the outside of the second housing 22. In this example, it is constituted by a second opening 250 formed in the second wall portion 24.

[0053] <Display portion> Returning to the description of the coupling mechanism 50, a display portion 8, which is a member for indicating the open / closed state of the valve 4, is connected to the coupling mechanism 50. The display portion 8 is configured to rotate together with the coupling mechanism 50, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, it is configured in a disc shape larger than the first opening 230. The display portion 8 is attached to the bottom surface 711 of the first seal portion 7 with screws 712 through the first opening 230 from the outside of the first wall portion 23, and the center of the display portion 8 overlaps the center of the first seal portion 7. Therefore, the display portion 8 is formed as a disc that rotates about its center. In FIG. 9, reference numerals 713 and 714 are screw holes provided in the bottom surface 711 of the first seal portion 7 and the display portion 8, respectively. A through hole 80 through which the hexagonal wrench 65 passes is formed in the central region of the display portion 8, and the recess 77 of the first seal portion 7 described above is exposed to the outside of the first housing 21 through this through hole 80 (see FIG. 4).

[0054] As described above, the display unit 8 is configured as a disk larger than the first opening 230. Thus, the display unit 8 is provided from the region facing the first opening 230 of the first housing 21 to the region outside the first opening 230, and also serves as a detachment prevention unit that prevents detachment from the first wall portion 23 of the coupling mechanism 50. Regions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction on the rear surface of the display unit 8 are defined as a first region 81 and a second region 82. More specifically, the rear surface is divided into four equal parts in a cross shape, and two adjacent regions are defined as the first region 81 and the second region 82. The region facing the window portion 29 switches between the first region 81 and the second region 82 according to the rotation of the display unit 8 in response to the opening and closing of the valve 4.

[0055] In this example, the characters "CLOSE" are described as different visual information in the first region 81 on the left side of the display unit 8, and the characters "OPEN" are described in the second region 82 on the right side. Thus, when the coupling mechanism 50 rotates to the right and the valve 4 is closed, the first region 81 overlaps the window portion 29 (the second opening 250), and "CLOSE" is displayed through the window portion 29. On the other hand, when the coupling mechanism 50 rotates to the left and the valve 4 is opened, "OPEN" is displayed when the second region 82 overlaps the window portion 29.

[0056] Furthermore, between the first region 81 and the second region 82 in the display unit 8, a plate-shaped fastener 83 is provided so as to extend toward the second wall portion 24 of the second housing 22 (that is, toward the rear). Therefore, the fastener 83 is connected to the first seal portion 7 of the coupling mechanism 50 via the display unit 8. This fastener 83 forms a first through-hole forming member, and by being inserted into the second opening 250 of the second wall portion 24, the tip of the fastener 83 is located outside the second housing 22, and a first through-hole 831 is formed at this tip. Thus, as the first seal portion 7 rotates, the fastener 83 moves around its rotation axis, and the tip of the fastener 83 having the first through-hole 831 moves outside the second housing 22.

[0057] On one hand, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a fastener 84, which is a plate-like member, is provided on the back surface of the second wall portion 24 of the second housing 22 so as to extend rearward from the second wall portion 24. Therefore, the fastener 84 is provided outside the second housing 22. This fastener 84 is a second through-hole forming portion having a second through-hole 841 and is provided at a position near one side in the left-right direction (Y direction) of the second opening 250. In this example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the valve 4 is closed and the "CLOSE" is displayed in the first state, the fasteners 83 and 84 are close to each other, and the first through-hole 831 opens in the extension of the opening direction of the second through-hole 841. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, when the valve 4 is opened and the "OPEN" is displayed in the second state, the fasteners 83 and 84 are separated more greatly than in the first state. Thus, by changing the orientation of the first through-hole 831 from the first state, the first through-hole 831 does not open in the extension of the opening direction of the second through-hole 841.

[0058] In the first state, since the fasteners 83 and 84 have the above-described positional relationship, as shown in FIG. 14, the locking pin 851 of the padlock 85 can be inserted through the first through-hole 831 and the second through-hole 841 to lock the padlock 85. Thus, by attaching the padlock 85, the position of the fastener 83 can be fixed, and it is possible to prevent the valve 4 from entering the second state where it is "OPEN", thereby ensuring safety. Here, in the state where the first through-hole 831 opens in the extension of the opening direction of the second through-hole 841, the openings of the through-holes 831 and 841 do not necessarily face each other completely. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, as long as the padlock 85 can be locked by passing the locking pin 851 through these through-holes 831 and 841, the opening directions of these through-holes 831 and 841 may not be aligned. Also, instead of locking the first through-hole 831 and the second through-hole 841, a string may be passed between the two and tied to suppress the rotation of the valve 4 so as to maintain the valve 4 in the closed state.

[0059] In this example, three valves 4 are provided in the tank 3. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, through holes 231 are respectively formed in the first wall portion 23 and the second wall portion 24 at positions corresponding to the respective valves 4 (4A to 4C), and a second opening 250 and a third opening 240 are respectively formed. Further, for each of the valves 4 (4A to 4C), a coupling mechanism 50, an outer frame portion 6, and a second through-hole forming portion 84 are provided.

[0060] Subsequently, the assembly of the gas box 2 and the opening / closing operation of the valve 4 after assembly will be described. Inside the first housing 21, the tank 3 and pipes (not shown) are accommodated. However, depending on variations during pipe installation and assembly, the tank 3 may not be able to be arranged at a preset position. This case of the gas box 2 will be described as an example. FIG. 2 shows a state where the tank 3 is arranged at a preset position within the first housing 21, and FIG. 16 shows a state where the tank 3 is arranged displaced from the preset position. FIG. 16 shows a state where the side wall 32 provided with the valves 4A to 4C of the tank 3 does not face the first wall portion 23 but is inclined with respect to the first wall portion 23. Actually, the displacement of the tank 3 is about several millimeters, but it is exaggerated in this figure.

[0061] In the assembly of the gas box 2, first, the coupling mechanism 50 is attached to the first wall portion 23. Specifically, inside the first wall portion 23 (on the side of the tank 3), the coupling mechanism 50 is supported by each outer frame portion 6, and from the outside of the first wall portion 23 (on the side of the second wall portion 24), the display portion 8 is fixed to the first seal portion 7 with screws 712. Then, after the tank 3 is accommodated in the first housing main body 231, the first wall portion 23 is attached to the first housing main body 231.

[0062] Figs. 17 to 20 show the process of attaching the first wall portion 23, and only the coupling mechanism 50 corresponding to the valve 4B is depicted representatively in these figures. Also, it is shown that the opening direction of the first recess 44 of the valve 4B is inclined obliquely from the front-rear direction (X direction) due to the displacement of the tank 3. Note that the valve 4B is in a closed state. Regarding the coupling mechanism 50, since the biasing pressure of the elastic body 64 is applied to the first engaging portion 5, as shown in Fig. 7, the second protrusion 541 is positioned at the front end of the groove 743 of the first sealing portion 7 and is in contact with the regulating plate 75.

[0063] In this process, first, the first wall portion 23 is brought close to the opening of the first housing body 231 (Fig. 17). Then, due to the displacement of the first recess 44, the inclined surface 531 of the entry portion 51 of the first engaging portion 5 comes into contact with the opening edge 443 and the inclined surface 47 of the first recess 44 (Fig. 18). Since the entry portion 51 can swing by the elastic body 64, as the first wall portion 23 approaches the first housing body 231 further, the direction of the tip changes and it enters into the first recess 44, and while contacting the inner wall of the first recess 44, it heads toward the inner side of the first recess 44. More specifically, the front portion (first straight portion) 52 forming the entry portion 51 heads toward the inner side of the main portion 45 of the first recess 44, while the first protrusion 521 enters into the sub-portion 451 of the first recess 44 and heads toward the inner side.

[0064] Then, the tip 53 of the entry portion 51 contacts the bottom surface 441 of the first recess 44 (Fig. 19), and the entire tip 53 closely adheres to the bottom surface 441 of the first recess 44. Further, as the first wall portion 23 approaches the first housing body 231, the first engaging portion 5 is pushed toward the inner side of the second recess 74 of the first sealing portion 7, and the second protrusion 541 is brought into the state shown in Fig. 5 where it is separated from the regulating plate 75. On the other hand, the first wall portion 23 contacts the first housing body 231 (Fig. 20).

[0065] As described above, with the first engaging portion 5 being pushed into the back side of the first seal portion 7, the first seal portion 7 is biased toward the first wall portion 23 by the spring forming the elastic body 64. In this way, due to the biasing force of the elastic body 64, the seal surface 73 of the first seal portion 7 is pressed against the surface 631 on the tip side of the annular portion 63 of the outer frame portion 6, and the two are in surface contact. As a result, the first opening 230 is sealed. Here, only the valve 4B is shown, but the first engaging portion 5 of the corresponding coupling mechanism 50 is inserted into each of the first recesses 44 of the three valves 4A to 4C until the tip 53 thereof contacts the bottom surface 441 of the first recess 44. In this state, the first wall portion 23 is screwed to the first housing body 231 to form the first housing 21.

[0066] By the way, as shown in FIG. 16, when the tank 3 is arranged in a displaced state, the distances between the first recess 44 and the first wall portion 23 are different among the three valves 4A to 4C. FIG. 21 shows the valve 4A closest to the first wall portion 23, and FIG. 22 shows the valve 4C farthest from the first wall portion 23. Even in such a case, since the first engaging portion 5 can swing with respect to the first seal portion 7 and move in the front-rear direction, it enters corresponding to the positional relationship with the first recess 44. Then, the tip 53 of the first engaging portion 5 contacts the bottom surface 441 of the first recess 44 while changing the entry angle into the first recess 44 and the protruding amount from the first seal portion 7.

[0067] Thus, since the coupling mechanism 50 provided with the elastic body 64 is provided, even if the tank 3 is displaced, the first engaging portion 5 can be engaged with the rotating portion 43 of the valve 4, and the first opening 230 can be sealed by the first seal portion 7. As described above, after forming the first housing 21, the second wall portion 24 is screwed to the housing body 241 of the second housing 22 surrounding the first housing 21 to form the second housing 24. Thereby, the gas box 2 is assembled.

[0068] When opening the valve 4 in the closed state shown in FIG. 5, the operator inserts the hexagonal wrench 65 into the second housing 22 through the second sealing portion 28 of the third opening 240 in the second wall portion 24 from the outside of the second housing 22. Then, the tip thereof is inserted into the recess 77 of the first sealing portion 7 of the coupling mechanism 50. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the first region 81 of the display portion 8 overlaps the window portion 29, and the characters "CLOSE" are displayed. Note that FIG. 14 shows a state in which the opening and closing of the valve 4 is locked by the padlock 85, but the padlock 85 is removed when opening the valve 4.

[0069] Then, the operator turns the hexagonal wrench 65 counterclockwise while looking forward, thereby applying torque to the first sealing portion 7 from the outside of the second housing 22 to rotate the first sealing portion 7. By the rotation of the first sealing portion 7, the side surface of the groove 743 of the first sealing portion 7 presses the second protrusion 541 formed on the cylindrical member 59 of the first engaging portion 5, and the first engaging portion 5 rotates around the central axis of the cylindrical member 59. The first protrusion 521 of the first engaging portion 5 that rotates in this way presses the side surface of the sub - portion 451 of the first recess 44 in the rotating portion 43 of the valve 4, so that the rotating portion 43 rotates in the same direction as the direction in which the hexagonal wrench 65 is turned.

[0070] In this way, the torque applied to the first sealing portion 7 is transmitted to the rotating portion 43 via the first engaging portion 5. By the rotation of the rotating portion 43, the ball 42 of the valve 4 rotates 90 degrees around its center, and the flow path 31 is opened (that is, the valve 4 is opened) as shown in FIG. 6. In this figure, the second protrusion 541 of the first engaging portion 5 is pressed by the side surface of the groove 743 of the first sealing portion 7, and the first protrusion 521 of the first engaging portion 5 presses the side surface of the sub - portion 451 of the first recess 44 of the valve 4. Thus, by the rotation of the first sealing portion 7, the display portion 8 also rotates. When the flow path 31 is opened, as shown in FIG. 13, the second region 82 of the display portion 8 overlaps the window portion 29, and the characters "OPEN" are displayed.

[0071] As described above, each valve 4 is opened by rotating a hexagonal wrench 65 from the outside of the second housing 22. When processing the wafer W, the liquid 30 is supplied to and stored in the tank 3. In this way, while the stored liquid 30 is heated by the heating unit 33, a carrier gas is supplied into the tank 3, and the first gas generated by vaporizing the liquid 30 is supplied into the processing container 11 through the flow path 31 together with the carrier gas. Thereby, the wafer W is processed by the first gas in the processing container 11.

[0072] On the other hand, when closing the valve 4, the hexagonal wrench 65 is rotated in the direction opposite to the case of opening the valve 4 to rotate the first seal portion 7. Thereby, a torque in the direction opposite to the case of opening the valve 4 is transmitted to the rotating portion 43 through the first engaging portion 52, and the valve 4 is closed. By rotating the first seal portion 7, the display of the display portion 8 through the window portion 29 also returns to "CLOSE". As described above, even while rotating the first seal portion 7 for opening and closing the valve 4, the seal surface 73 of the first seal portion 7 is continuously pressed against the surface 631 of the outer frame portion 6 provided on the first wall portion 23 of the first housing 21 by the elastic member 64, so that the first opening 230 of the first wall portion 23 is kept sealed.

[0073] In the above description, the attachment of the first wall portion 23 is shown in a state where the tank 3 is displaced. However, the attachment can be performed in the same manner even when the tank 3 is not displaced. In that case, regarding the first engaging portion 5 of the coupling mechanism 50, it can enter into the first recess 44 without interfering with the opening edge 443 or the inclined surface 47 of the first recess 44 of the valve 4, and the engagement between them and the sealing of the first opening 230 of the first wall portion 23 can be performed.

[0074] Here, the configuration of a comparative example without the coupling mechanism 50 of the present disclosure will be considered with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 23. In this case, for example, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 23, seal portions 232 and 242 made of, for example, grommets are provided at the opening of the first housing 21 and the opening of the second housing 22, respectively, in the same manner as the second seal portion 28. Then, for example, a rod-shaped engaging member 66 is inserted from the outside of the second housing 22, and its tip is engaged with the valve 4 and rotated to open and close the valve 4. Such a configuration is conceivable.

[0075] In such a configuration, when the tank 3 is arranged at a preset position as shown by the solid line in FIG. 23, the valve 4 can be rotated by the engaging member 66. However, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 23, when the tank 3 is arranged in a displaced state, when attempting to engage the engaging member 66 with the valve 4, the engaging member 66 enters a position deviated from the center of the seal members 232 and 242. Therefore, for a number of seal pieces forming the same seal member among the seal members 232 and 242, only some of them may be bent due to the interference of the engaging member 66, and the other part may be in a state of being separated from the engaging member 66 without being bent. That is, there is a possibility that a gap may be formed between the other part of the number of seal pieces and the engaging member 66, so there is a possibility that sufficient airtightness cannot be ensured for each of the first housing 21 and the second housing 22. Also, when the displacement of the tank 3 is large, the engagement between the engaging member 66 and the valve 4 itself may become difficult.

[0076] Returning to the description of the first embodiment. According to this embodiment, torque can be applied to the rotating portion 43 of the valve 4 from the outside of the first housing 21 via the coupling mechanism 50. On the other hand, this coupling mechanism 50 biases the first seal portion 7 toward the first wall portion 23 of the first housing 21 by the elastic body 64, and seals the first opening 230 provided in the first wall portion 23 while exposing the coupling mechanism 50 to the outside of the first housing 21 for applying the above torque. Therefore, compared with the comparative example, it is possible to open and close the valve 4 in a state where safety is ensured from the outside of the first housing 21 while maintaining high airtightness inside the first housing 21.

[0077] Regarding the positional relationship between the tank 3 and the first wall portion 23 of the first housing 21, as described above, due to the displacement of the tank 3 within the first wall portion 23 of the first housing 21 caused by the construction of the piping provided within the first housing 21, it may deviate from the preset positional relationship. On the other hand, regarding the positional relationship between the first wall portion 23 and the second wall portion 24 of the second housing 22, since it is not affected by the piping construction, it is difficult to deviate from the preset positional relationship. Therefore, in the coupling mechanism 50 attached to the first wall portion 23, regarding the positional relationship between the recess 77 into which the hexagonal wrench 65 is inserted and the second seal portion 28 through which the hexagonal wrench 65 is inserted in the second wall portion 24, it is difficult to deviate from the preset positional relationship.

[0078] Therefore, when the hexagonal wrench 65 is inserted into the recess 77 through the second seal portion 28, the hexagonal wrench 65 can be in a state of passing through the central portion of the second seal portion 7. For this purpose, each seal piece 281 bends unevenly or approximately evenly and is in close contact with the hexagonal wrench 65. Even if the tank 3 is arranged in a displaced state, as described in the comparative example, it is possible to prevent the seal piece from separating from the jig (hexagonal wrench 65) and forming a gap.

[0079] In addition, the first engaging portion 5 is provided on the first seal portion 7 via the elastic body 64 and is configured to be swingable and movable in the front-rear direction. For this reason, even when the tank 3 is arranged deviating from the planned position, the coupling mechanism 50 can absorb this deviation and open and close the valve 4 from the outside of the first housing 21 while ensuring airtightness. Although it is also conceivable to arrange the tank 3 in a state where it is positioned within the first housing 21, if the position of the tank 3 is prioritized, when accommodating the piping within the first housing 21, the piping may be forcibly bent. In this case, a load is applied to the piping, which may cause damage to the piping or liquid leakage, so it is not preferable.

[0080] As described above, the gas box 2 has a double structure in which a second housing 22 is provided outside the first housing 21. Valves 4 (4A to 4C) for manually opening and closing each of the flow paths 31, 35, and 36 provided inside the first housing 21 are prepared, and the valves 4 can be opened and closed from the outside of the first housing 21. Further, a display unit 8 that rotates together with the coupling mechanism 50 is provided, and it is configured such that the closed state and the open state of the valve 4 can be visually confirmed. When the valve 4 is in the closed state, it is configured to be able to be locked to prevent the rotation of the valve 4. Therefore, the valve 4 can be manually opened and closed from the outside of the gas box 2 and can comply with lockout / tagout (LOTO), so that the safety during inspection and maintenance of the gas box 2 can be improved.

[0081] <Second Embodiment> The gas box of the present disclosure may be configured such that the coupling mechanism 501 includes a first recess 921, and the rotating portion 91 of the valve 4 includes an entering portion 911 that enters the first recess 921. This configuration example will be described with reference to FIG. 24. As shown in the figure, for example, a columnar entering portion 911 is provided on the proximal end side (the rear side in the X direction) of the rotating portion 91 of the valve 4. The entering portion 911 includes a first straight portion 912 extending in the linear direction (X direction) and a first protrusion 913. The first protrusion 913 is configured to protrude in a direction intersecting the extending direction (X direction) of the first straight portion 912.

[0082] On the other hand, the first engaging portion 92 is provided with a first recess 921 that opens toward the front at its tip (the front in the X direction). When the rotating portion 91 and the first engaging portion 92 are engaged, the tip of the entering portion 911 is configured to contact the bottom surface 922 of the first recess 921. The coupling mechanism 501 includes a first seal portion 7 and an elastic body 64, and the other configurations such as the proximal end side of the first engaging portion 92 being provided with a rear portion (second straight portion) 54 and a second protrusion 541 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0083] Also in this embodiment, the entry portion 911 of the rotating portion 91 is made to enter the first recess 921 provided in the first engaging portion 92, thereby engaging the first engaging portion 92 and the rotating portion 91. Then, by applying torque to the rotating portion 91 from the outside of the first housing 21 via the coupling mechanism 501, the rotating portion 91 can be rotated to open and close the valve 4 while maintaining the airtightness of the first housing 21.

[0084] <Third Embodiment> Further, the gas box of the present disclosure may be configured such that in the coupling mechanism 502, the first engaging portion 95 includes a second recess 96, and the first sealing portion 93 includes a second straight portion 94 that enters the second recess 96. This configuration example will be described with reference to FIG. 25. As shown in this figure, for example, a second recess 96 that opens toward the first wall portion 23 is formed on the proximal end side (the rear side in the X direction) of the first engaging portion 95.

[0085] On the other hand, the first sealing portion 93 is configured to include a cylindrical body 933 sized to enter the second recess 96 so as to protrude forward from the cylindrical member 932 that forms the sealing surface 931, and the second straight portion 94 is formed by this cylindrical body 933. Furthermore, in this example, a second protrusion 962 is provided on the side surface 961 of the second recess 96, and a groove 941 is formed on the side circumference of the second straight portion 94. The groove 941 is formed along the extension direction (X direction) of the second straight portion 94, and the second protrusion 962 is configured to enter the groove 941. Also, an elastic body 64 is provided between the bottom surface 963 of the second recess 96 and the tip of the second straight portion 94. The other configurations, such as the provision of a first straight portion 52 and a first protrusion 521 on the distal end side of the first engaging portion 95, are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent members and the description is omitted.

[0086] Thus, the coupling mechanism may be configured such that a second protrusion is provided on one of the side surface of the second recess and the peripheral side of the second straight portion, and a groove into which the second protrusion enters is formed on the other. Even with such a configuration, the first engaging portion 95 is made to enter the first recess 44 of the rotating portion 43 to engage the first engaging portion 95 with the rotating portion 43. Then, by applying torque to the rotating portion 43 from the outside of the first housing 21 via the coupling mechanism 502, the rotating portion 43 can be rotated to open and close the valve 4. At this time, since the elastic body 64 is provided between the first seal portion 93 and the first engaging portion 95, the first seal portion 93 is biased toward the first wall portion 23 from the first engaging portion 95 by the biasing force of the elastic body 64, and the airtightness of the first housing 21 can be ensured.

[0087] In the above, in the present disclosure, the gas supplied from the gas box 2 to the processing container 11 is not limited to the processing gas for processing the substrate, and also includes a gas that is supplied during processing but does not directly participate in the processing. Examples of the gas that does not directly participate in the processing include, in addition to the carrier gas described above, a purge gas for purging the inside of the processing container 11 and an inert gas supplied into the processing container 11 when annealing the wafer W.

[0088] Also, the gas supplied from the gas box 2 to the processing container 11 is not limited to the gas supplied to the processing container 11 with the wafer W stored therein. Specifically, a cleaning gas may be supplied from the gas box 2 to clean the processing container 11 in a state where the wafer W is not stored in the processing container 11. Furthermore, the fluid serving as the gas supplied to the processing container 11 may be a gas, a gas generated by vaporizing a liquid, or a gas generated by sublimating a material that is solid at room temperature, such as tungsten chloride (WCl6), stored in the tank 3 by heating with the heating unit 33.

[0089] Furthermore, in the above-described example, in the first housing 21 and the second housing 22, the first wall portion 23 and the second wall portion 24 are configured to remove the front surface. However, for example, a hinge may be provided, and the structure may be such that one side of these wall portions 23 and 24 is supported by the housing main bodies 231 and 241 and opened and closed. Also, although the gas box 2 in this example has a double structure in which the second housing 22 surrounds the first housing 21, it is not limited to such a double structure, and a housing corresponding to the second housing 22 may not be provided. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the processing container 11 is not limited to a single-wafer type configuration, and a configuration in which processing is performed on a plurality of wafers W in one processing container may be used. Also, instead of providing the tank 3 in the first housing 21, a configuration in which a flow path for a fluid that becomes a gas is provided may be used.

[0090] Furthermore, the valve 4 provided in the present disclosure is not limited to a ball valve, and a structure such as a butterfly valve that can open and close the flow path 31 by the rotation of the rotating portion 43 can be used. Also, in this example, the valves 4A to 4C of the present disclosure are provided in each of the first flow path 35, the second flow path 36, and the third flow path 31. However, for example, only one of the plurality of valves, for example, only the third flow path 31, may be provided with the valve of the present disclosure. Furthermore, separately from the manually opened and closed valves 4A to 4C of the present disclosure, air operation valves that automatically open and close and control the supply and cutoff of liquid or gas may be provided in the respective flow paths 31, 35, and 36.

[0091] Furthermore, the elastic member 64 provided in the coupling mechanism 50 is not limited to a spring, and a sponge, a resin having a restoring force, or the like can be used. Also, the second engaging portion 77 provided on the rear surface of the first seal portion 7 and exposed to the first opening 230 of the first wall portion 23 is shown as a concave portion. However, it may be appropriately changed by a jig used for the rotation of the first seal portion 7. For example, when the jig is a socket wrench, a configuration in which a protrusion is provided instead of the concave portion may be used. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the first recess 44 of the valve 4 and the entry portion 51 of the coupling mechanism 50 are each configured as a square, one can be rotated by the rotation of the other. That is, instead of the cylindrical member 59, a prismatic member is used to form an entry portion into the square-shaped first recess. In this case, it is not necessary to form a first protrusion on the entry portion and a sub-portion on the first recess.

[0092] And when using a prismatic member instead of the cylindrical member 59 in this way, by making the second recess 74 of the seal portion 7 square, the prismatic member can be rotated in accordance with the rotation of the seal portion 7. That is, the second protrusion 541 is not necessarily as essential as the first protrusion 521. Regarding the second and third embodiments as well, similarly, by adopting a structure in which torque is transmitted by the engagement of the prismatic member with the square recess, a configuration may be adopted in which the first protrusion 521 and the second protrusion 541 or protrusions corresponding thereto are not provided. However, it is preferable to provide these first protrusion 521 and second protrusion 541 because positioning and torque transmission can be performed more reliably. Also, if the prismatic member is structured to be housed in the square second recess for torque transmission, it is difficult to increase the swingable range at the tip of the prismatic member. Therefore, as described above, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which torque transmission is achieved by providing protrusions. Note that the number of the first protrusion 521 and the second protrusion 541 is arbitrary and not limited to providing two of each.

[0093] Furthermore, the third recess 55 for housing the elastic body 64 in the first embodiment may be provided on the bottom surface 741 of the second recess 74 of the first seal portion 7 instead of being provided on the cylindrical member 59. However, in order to ensure a sufficient depth for preventing the detachment of the elastic body 64 from this third recess 55, the thickness of the bottom of the first seal portion 7 forming this third recess 55 becomes relatively large, which may cause the coupling mechanism 50 to become larger. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the third recess 55 on the cylindrical member 59 as shown in the first embodiment.

[0094] Incidentally, the display unit 8 that also serves as the detachment prevention unit does not necessarily have to be configured in a disc shape, and any shape that can suppress detachment from the first opening 230 of the coupling mechanism 50 is acceptable. Furthermore, the different visual information on the display unit may be character information as in the above-described embodiment, or may be information regarding symbols, patterns, or colors. Also, these visual informations may be provided in one of the first region and the second region and not in the other. Even in this case, they can be distinguished from each other.

[0095] Furthermore, the visual information may be information regarding the shape. As a specific example of the information regarding the shape, for example, instead of writing "open" and "close" in characters on the display unit, by forming concave portions or convex portions, a difference in shape is provided between the first region and the second region so that an operator can visually recognize the difference in shape. Also in this case, the concave portions or convex portions may be formed in either one of the regions, and the region where they are not formed may be a flat surface. Also, if it is not considered to have a structure locked by a padlock for the window portion for displaying this visual information, since the fastener 83 does not need to be inserted, it is not limited to the opening portion, and it may be a transparent wall formed of quartz or the like, as long as an operator can visually recognize the display unit 8 inside the second housing 22 from the outside.

[0096] So far, the wafer has been described as an example of the substrate, but the substrate processed in the processing container 11 is a substrate for semiconductor manufacturing. In addition to wafers, this substrate for semiconductor manufacturing includes substrates for flat panel display manufacturing, substrates for manufacturing exposure masks used in photolithography, and dummy substrates that are processed for the purpose of testing and setting processing parameters in substrate processing apparatuses.

[0097] The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or changed in various forms without departing from the scope and gist of the appended claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0098] W wafer 11 processing container 21 first housing 23 first wall portion 230 first opening 31 flow path 4 valve 43 rotating portion 50 coupling mechanism 5 first engaging portion 64 elastic body 7 first sealing portion

Claims

1. A first housing in which a fluid flow path is provided inside; A valve including a rotating part that opens and closes the flow path by rotation of the rotating part; A first opening provided in a first wall part forming the first housing; An elastic body and a first engaging part that engages with the rotating part, connecting the rotating part and the first wall part, and a coupling mechanism provided facing the first opening so as to rotate together with the rotating part by application of torque from the outside of the first housing; A first sealing part included in the coupling mechanism, biased from the first engaging part toward the first wall part by the elastic body to seal the first opening; A gas box comprising the above.

2. An outer frame part provided on the first wall part inside the first housing and rotatably surrounding the first sealing part inside; An annular part protruding from the outer frame part toward the inside of the outer frame part and forming the first opening together with a through hole provided in the first wall part; A sealing surface provided on the first sealing part and in contact with the annular part to seal the first opening; The gas box according to Claim 1, comprising the above.

3. A second housing surrounding the first housing and having a second wall part facing the first wall part; A window part provided in the second wall part to make the inside visible from the outside of the second housing; A display part connected to the coupling mechanism and rotating so that a region facing the window part switches between a first region and a second region having different visual information in accordance with the opening and closing of the flow path to indicate the opening and closing state of the flow path to the outside of the second housing; The gas box according to Claim 1, comprising the above.

4. The display part is provided across a region facing the first opening to a region outside the first opening, and also serves as a detachment prevention part for preventing detachment of the coupling mechanism from the first wall part. The gas box according to Claim 3.

5. The window part is a second opening provided in the second wall part; A first through hole forming part provided with a first through hole located outside the second housing and inserted into the second opening so that the first through hole moves outside the second housing together with the rotation of the coupling mechanism and connected to the coupling mechanism; A second through hole forming part provided outside the second housing in the second wall part and having a second through hole. In the first state where the flow path is closed and the first region faces the window portion, the first through hole opens in the extension of the opening direction of the second through hole. The gas box according to claim 4, wherein in the second state where the flow path is opened and the second region faces the window portion, the first through hole does not open in the extension of the opening direction of the second through hole.

6. A second engaging portion provided on the first sealing portion and exposed at the first opening portion for engaging with a jig for applying the torque. A second housing that surrounds the first housing and includes a second wall portion facing the first wall portion. A third opening provided in the second wall portion opposite to the first opening portion for allowing the jig to enter the second housing from the outside of the second housing. A second sealing portion that is an elastic body for closing and sealing the third opening. Sealing pieces provided in a plurality along the circumference of the third opening, forming the second sealing portion such that the tips of the sealing pieces contact each other at the center of the third opening when the jig does not enter the third opening, and the tips of the sealing pieces move away from each other and face the first wall portion when the jig enters the third opening, as claimed in claim 1.

7. The gas box according to claim 1, wherein one of the rotating portion and the first engaging portion includes a first recess, and the other includes an entering portion that enters the first recess and contacts the bottom surface of the first recess.

8. The region on the side surface of the first recess from the opening edge toward the bottom surface is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the opening direction of the first recess such that the opening area of the first recess increases from the bottom surface side toward the opening edge, as claimed in claim 7.

9. The entering portion includes a first straight portion extending in a straight line direction and a first protrusion protruding from the first straight portion in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the first straight portion. The first recess includes a main portion into which the first straight portion enters and a sub-portion formed by protruding from the main portion and into which the first protrusion enters, as claimed in claim 7.

10. The first engaging portion in a state where the engagement with the rotating portion is not formed is swingable with respect to the base end side connected to the first sealing portion via the elastic member, with the tip side for forming the engagement with the rotating portion.

11. One of the first engaging portion and the first sealing portion includes a second recess for accommodating a second straight portion provided on the other of the first engaging portion and the first sealing portion. The second straight portion extends linearly along the opening direction of the second concave portion. The gas box according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is interposed between the bottom surface of the second concave portion and the second straight portion.

12. One of the side surface of the second concave portion and the peripheral side of the second straight portion is provided with a groove, and the other is provided with a second protrusion. The groove is formed along the opening direction of the second concave portion when formed in the second concave portion, and is formed along the extension direction of the second straight portion when formed in the second straight portion. The gas box according to claim 11, wherein the second protrusion enters the groove.

13. The first seal portion includes the second concave portion. The gas box according to claim 12, wherein the groove is formed in the second concave portion.

14. The second straight portion is provided with a third concave portion having a bottom surface facing the bottom surface of the second concave portion. The gas box according to claim 13, wherein the elastic body is provided between the bottom surface of the second concave portion and the bottom surface of the third concave portion.

15. A tank having a heating portion for heating and vaporizing the stored liquid is provided in the first housing. The flow path includes a first flow path for supplying the liquid to the tank. A second flow path for supplying a carrier gas for the first gas generated by heating the liquid to the tank. And a third flow path for supplying the carrier gas and the first gas to the outside of the tank. The valve, the first opening, and the coupling mechanism are provided for each of the first flow path, the second flow path, and the third flow path. The gas box according to claim 1.

16. A second housing surrounding the first housing and having a second wall portion facing the first wall portion is provided. A supply path for supplying an inert gas and a first exhaust path for exhausting the inside of the first housing are connected to the first housing. The gas box according to claim 1, wherein a second exhaust path for exhausting the inside of the first housing is connected to the second housing.

17. A processing container for storing and processing a substrate. A first housing in which a flow path for a fluid that becomes a gas to be supplied into the processing container is provided inside; a valve including a rotating portion that opens and closes the flow path by rotation of the rotating portion; a first opening provided in a first wall portion forming the first housing; an elastic body; and a first engaging portion that engages with the rotating portion, connecting the rotating portion and the first wall portion, and facing the first opening so as to rotate together with the rotating portion by application of torque from the outside of the first housing A coupling mechanism provided; a first seal portion included in the coupling mechanism, biased from the first engaging portion toward the first wall portion by the elastic body, and sealing the first opening. A gas box comprising A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising

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