Fluid Control System and Valve Module

Abstract

In order to achieve a dramatic downsizing of a fluid control system, there are provided a mass flow controller MFC, a pair of blocks 10, 20 that is bridged by the mass flow controller MFC and in which an internal flow path is formed, and a valve 50 that is attached to one of the pair of blocks 10, 20 and arranged on the inner flow path, wherein the valve 50 is attached to an opposing surface 11 of one block 10 that faces the other block 20 and arranged in a space bounded by the opposing surface 11 and a bottom surface BS of the mass flow controller MFC.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid control system used in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing process, and a valve module that constitutes this system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART As shown in Patent Document 1, a conventional fluid control system includes a system in which various fluid devices are provided in a flow path through which a fluid flows.

[0003] More specifically, as shown in Figure 8, a number of blocks, each having a V-shaped or U-shaped internal flow path, are arranged in a row, and the above-mentioned fluid equipment such as manual valves, filters, pressure reducing valves, pressure gauges, two-way valves, three-way valves, and mass flow controllers are arranged in these blocks to form a single flow path.

[0004] The reason for using various valves as fluid equipment is to open / close, mix, dilute, and purge the fluids required for the process. More specifically, automatically controllable two-way pneumatic valves and three-way pneumatic valves are required for remote operation using a controller, while manual valves are required for safety reasons so that operators can confirm the type of fluid required for the process they are about to perform before allowing the fluid to flow.

[0005] In recent years, with the increase in wafer size and the trend toward multi-chamber systems, the above-mentioned flow paths may require, for example, more than ten lines. In order to install such systems in a clean room or the like with limited space, there is a demand for a smaller footprint.

[0006] However, in the above-mentioned fluid control system, flow paths are formed by attaching fluid devices one by one to blocks, which imposes restrictions on the placement of the fluid devices depending on the degree of freedom in the placement of these blocks, and there are limits to how small the footprint can be. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-89798 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a novel valve module that has not been seen before and that contributes to dramatically reducing the size of a fluid control system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] That is, the fluid control system according to the present invention comprises a mass flow controller, a pair of blocks across which the mass flow controller is bridged and which have internal flow paths formed therein, and a valve attached to one of the pair of blocks and arranged on the internal flow path, the valve being attached to an opposing surface of one of the blocks that faces the other block, and being arranged in a space surrounded by this opposing surface and the bottom surface of the mass flow controller.

[0010] According to the fluid control system configured in this manner, the space surrounded by the block and the mass flow controller, which would have been dead space in the past, can be utilized, thereby achieving a dramatic reduction in the size of the system.

[0011] A more specific embodiment is one in which one of the blocks has a second internal flow path formed therein that is separate from the internal flow path, and the valve is a three-way valve that selectively allows either the fluid flowing through the internal flow path or the fluid flowing through the second internal flow path to circulate.

[0012] It is preferable that the one block further comprises another valve attached to the first device mounting surface on which the mass flow controller is attached. In this case, the function as the three-way valve and the function of another valve can be modularized.

[0013] It is preferable that the other valve is an automatic on-off valve that switches between an open state and a closed state when a valve element moves upon receiving power from a power source, and that it comprises a manual operation unit that manually switches between a locked state in which the valve element is pressed down to restrict its movement, and an unlocked state in which the restriction is released to allow the valve element to move. With a valve module configured in this manner, the automatic on-off valve can be kept in a closed state by switching the manual operating unit to a locked state and pressing down on the valve body, and the automatic on-off valve can be made openable and closable by switching the manual operating unit to an unlocked state and allowing the valve body to move. In this way, the manual operation section functions just like a manual valve, so that one valve module can function as both an automatic on-off valve and a manual valve. As a result, by using this valve module to build a fluid control system, the system can be made significantly more compact than conventional configurations in which automatic on-off valves and manual valves are attached to blocks one by one.

[0014] It is preferable that the one block includes a filter provided in the internal flow path. This allows a filter to be incorporated into the valve module, making it possible to modularize not only valves but also various fluid devices.

[0015] Furthermore, a valve module according to the present invention comprises one of a pair of blocks across which a mass flow controller is spanned and which has an internal flow path formed therein, and a valve attached to the one of the blocks and arranged on the internal flow path, the valve being attached to a surface of the one of the blocks that faces the other block, and being arranged in a space surrounded by this surface and a bottom surface of the mass flow controller. The valve module configured in this manner has the same effect as the fluid control system described above, that is, by utilizing the space surrounded by the block and the mass flow controller, which would have been dead space in the past, the system can be made significantly more compact. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention described above, a fluid control system can be dramatically made more compact. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a fluid control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a valve module in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of a valve module in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of an air introduction member in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing a locked state and an unlocked state of the manual operation unit in the embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a valve module according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a valve module according to another embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conventional fluid control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The valve module 100 of this embodiment is used to construct a fluid control system X for an integrated high-purity gas supply system. However, this valve module 100 can be used in fluid control systems for various gas supply systems.

[0020] First, the fluid control system X will be described. This fluid control system X is used, for example, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and controls the flow rates of various fluids such as process gases. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of fluid lines XL through which different types of fluids flow are provided, and these fluid lines XL are provided with mass flow controllers MFC and valve modules 100 that combine the functions of multiple types of valves. It is not necessarily required that the mass flow controllers MFC and valve modules 100 be provided on all of the plurality of fluid lines XL.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the mass flow controller MFC is bridged over a pair of blocks 10, 20 (hereinafter referred to as the upstream block 10 and the downstream block 20) ​​each having an internal flow path formed therein, and is configured so that the fluid flowing through the internal flow path of the upstream block 10 is introduced into the mass flow controller MFC, where the flow rate is controlled, and then flows out into the internal flow path of the downstream block 20.

[0022] The mass flow controller MFC may be of various types, such as a differential pressure type, a thermal type, etc. The mass flow controller MFC of this embodiment has a built-in regulator function and filter for preventing crosstalk, but these are not essential and the specific configuration may be changed as appropriate.

[0023] This mass flow controller MFC is housed in a casing C, with a fluid control valve and a flow sensor (not shown) supported on a base member B. The bottom surface BS of the mass flow controller MFC, i.e., the bottom surface BS of the base member B, is bridged over the upstream block 10 and downstream block 20 described above.

[0024] In the above-described arrangement, an inlet port (not shown) of the mass flow controller MFC is connected to a fluid outlet port Pb formed in the upstream block 10, and an outlet port (not shown) of the mass flow controller MFC is connected to a fluid introduction port Px formed in the downstream block 20. In this embodiment, the downstream block 20 is provided with a downstream automatic on-off valve 30, such as a pneumatic two-way valve.

[0025] Next, the valve module 100 will be described.

[0026] The valve module 100 combines the functions of multiple types of valves, and as shown in Figure 2, it comprises a block 10 having an internal flow path, a first valve 40 and a second valve 50 attached to this block 10, and a manual operation unit 60.

[0027] <block> First, block 10 will be described. In this embodiment, the block 10 is the above-described upstream block 10. However, the valve module 100 may be configured using a downstream block 20 instead of the upstream block 10.

[0028] A first internal flow path L1 through which at least the fluid to be controlled flows is formed in the upstream block 10. The first internal flow path L1 is divided into an upstream element L1a, a midstream element L1b, and a downstream element L1c by a first valve 40 and a second valve 50, which will be described later.

[0029] More specifically, the upstream block 10 is formed with a first fluid inlet port Pa1 through which the fluid to be controlled is introduced, a fluid outlet port Pb from which this fluid flows out, a first valve port Pc to which the first valve 40 is attached, and a second valve port Pd to which the second valve 50 is attached.

[0030] In this configuration, the upstream element L1a connects the first fluid introduction port Pa1 and the first valve port Pc, the midstream element L1b connects the first valve port Pc and the second valve port Pd, and the downstream element L1c connects the second valve port Pd and the fluid discharge port Pb.

[0031] 2, the upstream block 10 of this embodiment is formed with a second internal flow path L2, in which a second fluid different from the fluid to be controlled flows, in addition to the first internal flow path L1 described above. The second fluid may be a purge gas or the like.

[0032] More specifically, a second fluid introduction port Pa2, into which the second fluid is introduced, is formed in the upstream block 10. The second fluid introduction port Pa2 is formed on the surface opposite to the surface on which the first fluid introduction port Pa1 is formed.

[0033] The second fluid inlet port Pa2 and the second valve port Pd are connected by a second internal flow path L2, and the purge gas and the like that flows into the second fluid inlet port Pa2 passes through the second valve 50, then flows out from the fluid outlet port Pb and is led to the mass flow controller MFC.

[0034] <First valve> Next, the first valve 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the first valve 40 is an automatic on-off valve that switches between an open state and a closed state when a valve element 41 moves upon receiving power from a power source.

[0035] The automatic on-off valve 40, which is the first valve, is attached to the first valve port Pc of the upstream block 10 described above, and specifically, is a pneumatic valve to which air is supplied as power to move the valve element 41.

[0036] The automatic on-off valve 40 of this embodiment is a two-way valve that allows or stops the flow of a fluid to be controlled, and is of a so-called normally closed type here. That is, when air is supplied to this automatic on-off valve 40, the valve element 41 moves away from the valve seat 42 to open the valve, and when the air supply is stopped, the urging force of the spring SP causes the valve element 41 to seat on the valve seat 42 to close the valve.

[0037] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the automatic on-off valve 40 opens or closes when a valve element 41 housed in a casing 43 moves toward or away from a valve seat 42 due to air introduced through an air introduction member 44.

[0038] 3 and 4, the casing 43 is hollow and cylindrical, and the valve body 41 is provided in the internal space via a sealing member such as an O-ring. A communication hole 43x that communicates between the outside and the internal space is formed in the peripheral wall of the casing 43, as shown in Fig. 4. Furthermore, a ring-shaped groove 43y is formed in the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall of the casing 43, extending in the circumferential direction, and the outer end of the communication hole 43x is connected to this ring-shaped groove 43y.

[0039] 4, the air introduction member 44 is cylindrical and provided around the casing 43. An air supply path 44x, which connects the outside with the internal space and through which air supplied from the outside flows, is formed in the peripheral wall of the air introduction member 44. An upstream opening 44a of the air supply path 44x is an air supply port 44a through which air is supplied from the outside, and a downstream opening 44b is disposed so as to face the ring-shaped groove 43y described above.

[0040] The air introduction member 44 is provided rotatably around the casing 43. That is, the air supply port 44a is rotatable, or in other words, the direction of the air supply port 44a can be adjusted 360 degrees to any desired direction.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, the valve element 41 is made up of a diaphragm 45 provided so as to be able to approach and separate from the valve seat 42, and one or more movable bodies 46 that move in conjunction with the diaphragm 45.

[0042] In this embodiment, three movable bodies 46 are provided which are movable in the approaching and separating directions. These movable bodies 46 are formed with through holes 46x through which air passes, supplied from the communication holes 43x of the casing 43 via the air supply passages 44x of the air introducing member 44 described above. The air which passes through the through holes 46x of the movable bodies 46 is led to an air supply space AS formed below the movable bodies 46.

[0043] With this configuration, the supplied air is guided from the through-hole 46x of the movable body 46 into the air supply space AS and compressed, causing the movable body 46 to rise, and in conjunction with this, the diaphragm 45 moves away from the valve seat 42, establishing an open state. On the other hand, by stopping the supply of air, the movable body 46 moves down, and in conjunction with this, the diaphragm 45 sits on the valve seat 42, establishing a closed state.

[0044] <Second valve> Next, the second valve 50 will be described. The second valve 50 is a three-way valve that switches between an open state and a closed state when a valve element 51 moves upon receiving power from a power source.

[0045] This second valve, the three-way valve 50, is a pneumatic valve to which air is supplied as the power to move the valve body 51, and specifically, it selectively allows or stops the flow of either the fluid to be controlled or the second fluid, the purge gas.

[0046] Although various types of three-way valves may be used as the three-way valve 50, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, similar to the automatic on-off valve 40, the valve body 51 (diaphragm) moves toward and away from the valve seat 52 due to power from a power source or the biasing force from a spring, thereby switching between an open state and a closed state.

[0047] 2 and 3, the three-way valve 50 is attached to a second-valve port Pd formed on a different surface of the upstream block 10 from the first-valve port Pc. In other words, the three-way valve 50 is attached to a different surface of the upstream block 10 from the surface on which the first valve 40 is attached.

[0048] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the three-way valve 50 is attached to an opposing surface 11 of the upstream block 10 that faces the downstream block 20. In other words, the three-way valve 50 is disposed in a space surrounded by the opposing surface 11 of the upstream block 10, the bottom surface BS of the mass flow controller MFC, and the opposing surface 21 of the downstream block 20.

[0049] <Manual operation section> As shown in FIG. 5, the valve module 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a manual operation unit 60 that can be manually switched between a locked state R in which the valve element 41 of the automatic on-off valve 40 is pressed down to restrict the movement of the valve element 41, and an unlocked state UR in which the restriction is released and the movement of the valve element 41 is permitted. The term "manual operation" as used herein is not necessarily limited to a mode in which the manual operation unit 60 is directly operated by hand, but also includes a mode in which the manual operation is performed using a tool such as a screwdriver.

[0050] The manual operation unit 60 is provided above the automatic on-off valve 40 and is detachably attached to the upstream block 10 together with the automatic on-off valve 40 .

[0051] More specifically, the manual operation unit 60 is a handle knob that uses, for example, a screw, and includes a handle portion 61 that is operated by the user, and a moving portion 62 that moves toward and away from the movable body 46 located at the top. By manually operating the handheld unit, the moving portion 62 is configured to move between a contact position r where it contacts the movable body 46 and a retracted position ur where it is retracted from the movable body 46.

[0052] With this configuration, when the user rotates the handle portion 61, for example, forward to move the moving portion 62 to the abutment position r, the manual operation portion 60 switches to the locked state R, and when the user rotates the handle portion 61 backward to move the moving portion 62 to the retracted position ur, the manual operation portion 60 switches to the unlocked state UR.

[0053] In other words, by switching this manual operating unit 60 from the unlocked state UR to the locked state R, the automatic on-off valve 40 can be forcibly kept in a closed state regardless of whether the automatic on-off valve 40 is in an open or closed state, and the flow of the fluid to be controlled flowing through the first internal flow path L1 can be stopped.

[0054] <filter> 2 and 3, the valve module 100 of this embodiment further includes a filter F provided in the first internal flow path L1 of the upstream block 10. This filter F is a fine-mesh filter required in the process, and here is disposed in the upstream element L1a of the first internal flow path L1.

[0055] With the valve module 100 configured in this manner, the automatic on-off valve 40 can be kept in a closed state by switching the manual operating unit 60 to the locked state R and pressing down the valve body 41, and the automatic on-off valve 40 can be placed in an openable and closable state by switching the manual operating unit 60 to the unlocked state UR and allowing the valve body 41 to move. In this way, the manual operation unit 60 functions just like a manual valve, so that one valve module 100 can function as both an automatic on-off valve and a manual valve. As a result, by constructing a fluid control system X using this valve module 100, the system can be made more compact than in a conventional configuration in which automatic on-off valves and manual valves are attached to blocks one by one.

[0056] Furthermore, since the air introduction member 44 is rotatably provided around the casing 43, even in a fluid control system X with a small working space and equipped with a large number of fluid lines XL, it is possible to supply air from a desired direction by rotating the air introduction member 44 around the casing 43, which improves assembly and maintenance.

[0057] Furthermore, since the valve module 100 also includes a three-way valve attached to the upstream block 10, the functions of a manual valve, a two-way valve, and a three-way valve can be modularized.

[0058] Moreover, since this three-way valve is disposed in the space surrounded by the opposing surface 11 of the upstream block 10 and the bottom surface BS of the mass flow controller MFC, this space, which would have been dead space in the past, can be utilized, allowing for a dramatic reduction in the size of the system.

[0059] In addition, since the valve module 100 further includes a filter F provided in the first internal flow path L1, not only valves but also various fluid devices can be modularized.

[0060] Furthermore, since the automatic on-off valve 40 and the three-way valve 50 are pneumatic valves, they are safe even if they leak, making the valve module 100 according to the present invention useful in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0062] For example, although the automatic on-off valve 40 in the above embodiment is of a normally closed type, it may be of a normally open type.

[0063] Furthermore, the manual operation unit 60 in the above embodiment is, for example, a handle knob, but it may be one that is switched between the locked state R and the unlocked state UR by being operated using a tool such as a screwdriver.

[0064] Furthermore, although the automatic on-off valve 40 and the three-way valve 50 in the above embodiment are pneumatic valves, they may be solenoid valves depending on the application of the fluid control system X and the valve module 100.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the three-way valve 50 is attached to the opposing surface 11 of the upstream block 10, but it may also be attached to the opposing surface 21 of the downstream block 20 as shown in FIG.

[0066] The valve module 100 does not necessarily need to modularize the manual operation unit 60 and the automatic on-off valve 40, and as shown in FIG. 7, a manual on-off valve 70 may be provided separately from the automatic on-off valve 40.

[0067] Furthermore, the first valve 40 was a two-way valve in the above embodiment, but it may also be a three-way valve, and the second valve 50 was a three-way valve in the above embodiment, but it may also be a two-way valve or a manual valve.

[0068] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to achieve a dramatic reduction in the size of the fluid control system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] X Fluid Control System MFC: Mass Flow Controller 100···Valve Module 10 Upstream block 11. Opposing surface 20 Downstream block 21. Opposing surface 30 Downstream automatic opening and closing valve 40 First valve 44 Air intake member 50 Second valve 60...Manual operation section R Locked state UR ···Unlocked F Filter

Claims

1. A mass flow controller; a pair of blocks across which the mass flow controller is bridged and in which an internal flow path is formed; a valve attached to one surface of one of the pair of blocks and disposed on the internal flow path; and another valve attached to said one block, the valve is attached to a surface of one of the blocks facing the other block, and is disposed in a space surrounded by the surface and a bottom surface of the mass flow controller; The other valve is an automatic on-off valve that switches between an open state and a closed state by receiving power from a power source and moving a valve element; a manual operation unit that is manually switched between a locked state in which the valve element is pressed down to restrict movement of the valve element and an unlocked state in which the restriction is released to allow movement of the valve element; a surface of the one block on which the other valve is mounted that is a surface different from the surface on which the valve is mounted and is a first equipment mounting surface of the one block on which the mass flow controller is mounted.

2. a second internal flow path separate from the internal flow path is formed in the one block, The fluid control system according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is a three-way valve that selectively allows either the fluid flowing through the internal flow path or the fluid flowing through the second internal flow path to flow.

3. The fluid control system according to claim 1 , further comprising a filter provided in the internal flow path of the one block.

4. one of a pair of blocks across which the mass flow controller is bridged and in which an internal flow path is formed; a valve attached to one surface of the one block and disposed on the internal flow path; and another valve attached to said one block, the valve is attached to a surface of one of the blocks facing the other block, and is disposed in a space surrounded by the surface and a bottom surface of the mass flow controller; The other valve is an automatic on-off valve that switches between an open state and a closed state by receiving power from a power source and moving a valve element; a manual operation unit that is manually switched between a locked state in which the valve element is pressed down to restrict movement of the valve element and an unlocked state in which the restriction is released to allow movement of the valve element; a valve module, wherein the face of the one block on which the other valve is mounted is a face different from the face on which the valve is mounted and is a first equipment mounting face on which the mass flow controller of the one block is mounted.

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