Flow rate ratio control device

Abstract

To provide a structure for easily arranging a control board in a flow rate ratio control device.SOLUTION: The fluid control device includes a plurality of fluid control devices 2 in which a fluid sensor 22 and a fluid control valve 23 are provided in a flow passage block 21, and a control board 4 for controlling the plurality of fluid control devices 2, and the control board 4 is erected on an upper surface of the flow passage block 21 along an arrangement direction of the plurality of fluid control devices 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flow ratio control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a flow rate measurement system has been considered in which a plurality of mass flow controllers are arranged in parallel in the thickness direction, and a control device is arranged above the casings of the plurality of mass flow controllers.

[0003] However, in this system, the control devices are arranged above the casings of the multiple mass flow controllers, which makes the entire system large, and it may not be possible to use it depending on the installation space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-85226 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, it is conceivable to house a plurality of mass flow controllers and control devices in one casing to reduce the size of the system.

[0006] However, since a plurality of mass flow controllers are arranged in parallel, it is difficult to place a control board inside the casing that houses them.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a structure that makes it easy to arrange a control board in a flow ratio control device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] That is, the flow ratio control device of the present invention comprises a plurality of fluid control devices each having a fluid sensor and a fluid control valve mounted on a flow path block, and a control board that controls the plurality of fluid control devices, and the control board is characterized in that it stands upright on the upper surface of the flow path block along the arrangement direction of the plurality of fluid control devices.

[0009] In this flow ratio control device, the control board stands upright on the upper surface of the flow path block along the arrangement direction of the multiple fluid control devices, making it easy to arrange the control board, for example, without interfering with the fluid control valves or fluid sensors. Furthermore, the control board can be extended in the arrangement direction of the fluid control devices, making it possible to reduce the height dimension of the control board.

[0010] Because the fluid control valve is taller than the fluid sensor, excess space is formed above the fluid sensor. In order to effectively utilize the excess space formed above the fluid sensor and prevent the flow ratio control device from becoming larger, it is desirable to position the control board above the fluid sensor. Furthermore, by configuring the control board so that it is not positioned above the fluid control valve, the control board can be prevented from getting in the way when the valve structure is changed. Note that possible changes to the valve structure include, for example, the placement of a position sensor that detects the position of the valve element, or changing from a piezo valve using a piezo actuator to a solenoid valve using a solenoid.

[0011] As a specific embodiment for making the structure easy to arrange the control board, the flow ratio control device further includes a base plate to which the plurality of fluid control devices are fixed in a line spaced apart relationship, and a support portion provided between adjacent fluid control devices, and the control board is desirably fixed to the support portion.

[0012] It is desirable that the support columns are fixed to the base plate between the adjacent fluid control devices. This configuration makes it possible to easily assemble the support column, and also eliminates the need for processing to assemble the support column to peripheral components such as the flow path block, thereby reducing processing costs.

[0013] As a specific embodiment of the support portion, it is desirable that the support portion has a plate fixing portion that is fixed to the base plate, and a board fixing portion that is erected from the plate fixing portion and to which the control board is fixed.

[0014] The flow ratio control device of the present invention may have two of the control boards. In this case, it is desirable that the two control boards are fixed so as to sandwich the support portion. With this configuration, the two control boards can be fixed to a common support, and the configuration for fixing the two control boards can be simplified.

[0015] It is desirable that a connector for external communication be provided between the two control boards. With this configuration, the dead space formed between the two control boards can be effectively utilized to provide a connector for external communication.

[0016] The flow rate ratio control device of the present invention preferably further includes a casing fixed to the flow path block and accommodating the fluid sensor and the fluid control valve of each of the plurality of fluid control devices, the support column, and the control board. Here, it is preferable that the casing be fixed to the flow path block of the fluid control device located at both ends of the plurality of fluid control devices.

[0017] In order to configure a flow rate ratio control device using the flow rate ratio control device of the present invention, it is desirable to provide an inlet fitting that is connected to the flow path block of each of the plurality of fluid control devices and distributes fluid that has flowed in from one inlet port to the flow path blocks of each of the plurality of fluid control devices, and the control board controls the plurality of fluid control devices to control the ratio of flow rates flowing out from the plurality of fluid control devices. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention configured in this manner, the flow ratio control device can be structured so that the control board can be easily arranged. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a flow ratio control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the flow ratio control device of the embodiment with a casing removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the flow rate ratio control device of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flow rate ratio control device of the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the flow rate ratio control device of the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the flow rate ratio control device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a flow ratio control device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in all of the drawings shown below, for the sake of clarity, some parts are omitted or exaggerated as appropriate, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0021] <Device configuration> The flow rate ratio control device 100 of this embodiment is used, for example, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and is used to introduce gases for semiconductor processing into a vacuum chamber that contains wafers from multiple inlets of the vacuum chamber at predetermined flow rate ratios.

[0022] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 6, the flow ratio control device 100 includes a plurality of (here, four) fluid control devices 2, a base plate 3 to which the plurality of fluid control devices 2 are fixed, a control board 4 that controls the plurality of fluid control devices 2, and a casing 5 that houses the plurality of fluid control devices 2 and the control board 4.

[0023] Each fluid control device 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped flow path block 21 in which an internal flow path 21R is formed, a fluid sensor 22 mounted on one surface (top surface) of the flow path block 21 to measure the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the internal flow path 21R, and a fluid control valve 23 to control the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the internal flow path 21R.

[0024] The fluid sensor 22 of this embodiment has an upstream pressure sensor 22a that measures the pressure upstream of a fluid resistance element (not shown) provided in the internal flow path 21R, and a downstream pressure sensor 22b that measures the pressure downstream of the fluid resistance element. Detection signals from the pressure sensors 22a and 22b are sent to the control board 4, which will be described later.

[0025] The fluid control valve 23 is a so-called piezo valve, and adjusts the valve opening by applying a drive voltage to a piezo actuator to move a valve element toward or away from a valve seat. The drive voltage applied to the fluid control valve 23 is input from a control board 4, which will be described later. The fluid control valve 23 of this embodiment is provided upstream of the pressure sensors 22a and 22b, which are the fluid sensor 22.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 to 4 and 6, the base plate 3 is one on which a plurality of fluid control devices 2 are fixed, lined up at intervals from one another. Specifically, the flow path blocks 21 of the plurality of fluid control devices 2 are fixed to the base plate 3, lined up at equal intervals from one another. Here, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the base plate 3 has spacer portions 31 for keeping the intervals between the flow path blocks 21 constant. Furthermore, the bottom surfaces of the flow path blocks 21 are fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 3. Note that, when the plurality of fluid control devices 2 are fixed to the base plate 3, the arrangement order of the fluid sensors 22 and fluid control valves 23 in the flow path blocks 21 of the plurality of fluid control devices 2 is the same (see Figures 2, 4, etc.).

[0027] An inlet joint 6 is connected to one end face (front face) of each of the plurality of flow path blocks 21 fixed to the base plate 3. An internal flow path 21R opens at the front face of the flow path block 21 (see FIG. 6). The inlet joint 6 distributes the fluid that has flowed in from one inlet port P1 to the internal flow paths 21R of the flow path blocks 21 of each of the plurality of fluid control devices 2. An outlet port P2 is provided at the other end face (rear face) of each of the plurality of flow path blocks 21, to which a pipe leading to an inlet of a vacuum chamber is connected.

[0028] The control board 4 of this embodiment has a first control board 4A and a second control board 4B. The first control board 4A performs arithmetic processing such as flow division control based on a target flow rate ratio input from the outside and processing of various data. The second control board 4B acquires detection signals from each fluid sensor 22 and controls each fluid control valve 23.

[0029] The control board 4 also controls the flow rate ratio of gas flowing through the internal flow paths 21R of each of the multiple fluid control devices 2 so that it becomes a target flow rate ratio. Specifically, the control board 4 is configured to sequentially acquire information regarding flow rates from each fluid control device 2. More specifically, the control board 4 calculates a target flow rate for each internal flow path 21R based on the target flow rate ratio and the sum of the measured flow rates of gas flowing through each internal flow path 21R measured by each flow sensor 22 of each fluid control device 2. Here, the sum of the measured flow rates of gas flowing through each internal flow path 21R is also the flow rate of gas flowing in from the inlet port P1. Then, based on the deviation between the target flow rate individually set for each fluid control device 2 and the measured flow rate of gas flowing through the internal flow path 21R measured by the flow sensor 22, the control board 4 performs flow rate feedback control so as to reduce the deviation.

[0030] The first control board 4A is provided with a connector 7 for external communication such as Ethercat or Ethernet, and is connected to the second control board 4B by a signal cable. Also connected to the second control board 4B are signal cables for the fluid sensors 22 (upstream pressure sensor 22a and downstream pressure sensor 22b) and signal cables for the fluid control valves 23. The first control board 4A and the second control board 4B are rectangular (see FIGS. 3 and 6, etc.).

[0031] 1, 3, and 5, the casing 5 has a generally rectangular box shape that houses a plurality of fluid control devices 2 and a control board 4. The casing 5 in this embodiment is fixed to the flow path blocks 21 of the fluid control devices 2 located at both ends of the plurality of fluid control devices 2.

[0032] Specifically, the casing 5 has a first case element 51 that forms the left and right side surfaces, the top surface, and the rear surface, and a second case element 52 that forms the front surface. The first case element 51 is fixed to the flow path block 21, and the second case element 52 is connected to the first case element 51.

[0033] Thus, the flow ratio control device 100 of this embodiment includes, inside the casing 5, a support portion 8 to which the control board 4 is fixed, as shown in FIGS.

[0034] The support column 8 is disposed between adjacent fluid control devices 2. In this embodiment, the support column 8 is fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 3 between the flow path blocks 21 of adjacent fluid control devices 2, as shown in FIG.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 to 6, the support portion 8 has one or more plate fixing portions 81 fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 3, and one or more board fixing portions 82 erected from the plate fixing portion 81 and to which the control board 4 is fixed.

[0036] The one or more plate fixing portions 81 have a width sufficient to fit between adjacent flow path blocks 21, and in this embodiment, are fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 3 at multiple locations (two locations). Fixing the plate fixing portion 81 to the upper surface of the base plate 3 simplifies the process of fixing the plate fixing portion 81. The multiple substrate fixing portions 82 extend substantially perpendicular to the flow path block 21, and in this embodiment, are arranged in a straight line along the arrangement direction (X direction) of the multiple fluid control devices 2. The substrate fixing portion 82 has bosses 821 for screwing the two control boards 4A and 4B. Alternatively, one of the control boards 4A and 4B (e.g., control board 4B) may be fixed to the substrate fixing portion 82, and the other of the control boards 4A and 4B (e.g., control board 4A) may be fixed to the control boards 4A and 4B fixed to the substrate fixing portion 82 via a spacer or the like.

[0037] In this embodiment, a plate fixing portion 81 is fixed to each of the three spaces formed between the four fluid control devices 2, and a substrate fixing portion 82 is provided at each of these three spaces. In addition, two substrate fixing portions 82 are connected by a cross section 83. Note that the number of plate fixing portions 81 and substrate fixing portions 82 is not limited to this, and the substrate fixing portions 82 do not have to be connected by the cross section 83.

[0038] The substrate fixing portions 82 extend upward from the sides of the fluid sensors 22 in the adjacent flow path blocks 21. By fixing the two control substrates 4A, 4B to the support portions 8, the two control substrates 4A, 4B are disposed above the fluid sensors 22 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0039] The two control boards 4A, 4B are arranged across the flow path blocks 21 of the plurality of fluid control devices 2 (see FIGS. 1 to 4). In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the two control boards 4A, 4B is arranged along the arrangement direction (X direction) of the plurality of fluid control devices 2. Here, the arrangement direction is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flow path blocks 21 of the fluid control device 2. Furthermore, the arrangement direction in this embodiment is a direction perpendicular to the direction from the inlet to the outlet of the flow path blocks 21 of the fluid control device 2.

[0040] Furthermore, the two control boards 4A, 4B stand upright relative to the upper surface of the flow path block 21 (see FIGS. 1 to 4). Specifically, the two control boards 4A, 4B are fixed to the board fixing portion 82 of the support member 8 so as to sandwich the board fixing portion 82, thereby being fixed vertically and standing upright relative to the upper surface of the flow path block 21. In other words, the two control boards 4A, 4B are arranged so that the out-of-plane direction (direction perpendicular to the board plane) of each of the two control boards 4A, 4B faces sideways. At this time, the first control board 4A is fixed to the board fixing portion 82 so that the connector 7 provided on the first control board 4A is located between the two control boards 4A, 4B.

[0041] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the flow ratio control device 100 of this embodiment configured as described above, the control boards 4A, 4B are arranged upright relative to the upper surface of the flow path block 21 along the arrangement direction of the plurality of fluid control devices 2, which makes it easy to arrange the control boards 4A, 4B, for example, making it easy to arrange the control boards 4A, 4B without interfering with the fluid control valves 23 or the fluid sensors 22. Furthermore, the control boards 4A, 4B can be extended in the arrangement direction of the fluid control devices 2, which makes it possible to reduce the height dimension of the control boards.

[0042] Furthermore, the support columns 8 are arranged between adjacent fluid control devices 2, and the control boards 4A, 4B are fixed to these support columns 8, which makes it easy to arrange the control boards 4A, 4B. Here, the support columns 8 are fixed to the base plate 3 between adjacent fluid control devices 2, which makes it easy to assemble the support columns 8. Furthermore, there is no need for processing to assemble the support columns 8 to peripheral components such as the flow path block 21, which reduces processing costs.

[0043] Since the two control boards 4A, 4B are arranged above the fluid sensor 22, the excess space formed above the fluid sensor 22 can be effectively utilized to prevent the size of the flow ratio control device 100 from increasing. Furthermore, by configuring the two control boards 4A, 4B so that they are not arranged above the fluid control valve 23, the two control boards 4A, 4B can be prevented from getting in the way when the structure of the fluid control valve 23 is changed. Note that possible structural changes to the fluid control valve 23 include installing a position sensor that detects the position of the valve disc, installing a mechanism that amplifies the displacement of the valve disc, or changing from a piezo valve to a solenoid valve.

[0044] <Other embodiments> For example, in the above embodiment, the support column 8 is configured to be fixed to the base plate 3, but the support column 8 may be configured to be fixed to other members such as a flow path block or a casing. Even in this case, it is desirable that the support column 8 be disposed between adjacent fluid control devices 2.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, both of the two control boards 4A and 4B are arranged to stand upright relative to the flow path block 21, but at least one of the control boards 4A and 4B may be arranged to lie flat relative to the flow path block 21. That is, the two control boards 4A and 4B may be arranged so that the out-of-plane direction faces the up-down direction (Z direction). In particular, in the flow ratio control device 100, a connector 7 for external communication is often arranged on the top of the device, and the control board 4A may be left standing upright, while the other control board 4B may be arranged to lie flat relative to the flow path block 21.

[0046] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the configuration has two control boards 4A and 4B, but the configuration may have one control board 4, or may have three or more control boards 4.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, four fluid control devices 2 are arranged at intervals, but alternatively, two or more fluid control devices 2 may be arranged at intervals.

[0048] In addition, various modifications and combinations of the embodiments may be made as long as they do not go against the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 100 Flow ratio control device 2 Fluid control equipment 21 Flow path block 22 Fluid Sensor 23 Fluid control valve 3 Base Plate 4 Control board 5 Casing 6 Inlet fitting P1: Inlet port 7. Connector for external communication 8...Strut section 81 Plate fixing part 82 Circuit board fixing part

Claims

1. a plurality of fluid control devices each having a fluid sensor and a fluid control valve mounted on a flow path block; a control board that controls the plurality of fluid control devices, The flow rate ratio control device, wherein the control board stands upright on an upper surface of the flow path block along an arrangement direction of the plurality of fluid control devices.

2. The flow rate ratio control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control board is disposed above the fluid sensor.

3. a base plate to which the plurality of fluid control devices are fixed, arranged at intervals from one another; and a support portion provided between adjacent fluid control devices, The flow ratio control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control board is fixed to the support portion.

4. The flow ratio control device according to claim 3 , wherein the support columns are fixed to the base plate between the adjacent fluid control devices.

5. The support portion is a plate fixing portion fixed to the base plate; 5. The flow ratio control device according to claim 4, further comprising: a board fixing portion that is provided upright from the plate fixing portion and to which the control board is fixed.

6. The control board has two of the above-mentioned control boards, The flow ratio control device according to claim 3 , wherein the two control boards are fixed so as to sandwich the support portion.

7. The flow ratio control device according to claim 6, wherein a connector for external communication is provided between the two control boards.

8. 8. The flow rate ratio control device according to claim 1, further comprising a casing fixed to the flow path block and accommodating the fluid sensor and the fluid control valve of each of the plurality of fluid control devices, and the control board.

9. 9. The flow ratio control device according to claim 1, further comprising an inlet fitting connected to the flow path block of each of the plurality of fluid control devices and distributing fluid flowing in from one inlet port to the flow path block of each of the plurality of fluid control devices.

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