Fixing structure of wiring or piping

Abstract

A fixing structure 10 for fixing wiring or piping extending from the inside of a gas box to the outside comprises: a plate-shaped member 12 facing a gas box 30, fixed to the gas box, and having a passing portion through which wiring or piping 20 passes; a plate-shaped pressing member 14 placed on the surface of the plate-shaped member opposite to the gas box and having a passing portion through which the wiring or piping passes; and an annular sealing member 16 fixed to the outer periphery of the wiring or the piping. In the plate-shaped member 12, a step portion 12R is formed around the passing portion of the surface facing the pressing member on the side opposite to the gas box, and the annular seal member 16 is housed in the step portion of the plate-shaped member and pressed by the pressing member.

Description

Wiring or piping fixing structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a fixing structure for wiring or piping, and more particularly to a fixing structure for fixing wiring or piping extending from the inside to the outside of a gas box to the gas box.

[0002] Conventionally, gas supply systems for supplying process gas to a chamber have been used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses an embodiment in which flow rate controllers and valves provided on multiple gas supply lines are housed together in a gas box, and the process gas is supplied to the chamber via devices in the gas box.

[0003] Gas boxes are used to ensure safety by preventing gas from leaking into the surrounding area when a gas leak occurs from an internal flow controller or valve. Gas boxes may be filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas to prevent the leaking gas from reacting with air. In addition, gas boxes may be connected to an exhaust path to prevent leaking gas from leaking into the surrounding area.

[0004] The gas box used to prevent such gas leaks is required to have a suitable level of airtightness. The gas box is fabricated, for example, by welding sheet metal surrounding a metal frame material into a box body.

[0005] JP 2003-257870 A JP 2003-257542 A JP 2012-84317 A WO 2022 / 091713

[0006] When components of a gas supply system are housed in a gas box, the gas box is provided with holes for passing wires and pipes to connect the components to external devices. However, as described above, the gas box is required to have a certain level of airtightness, and therefore leakage from the periphery of the holes through which the wires and pipes pass must also be suppressed.

[0007] One way to prevent leakage from around the holes is to minimize the number of holes and reduce their diameter. However, in order to house various devices with various functions within the gas box, it is often necessary to pull out a certain number and size of wires from the gas box. Furthermore, the wires extending from the gas box may be damaged by rubbing against the edges of the holes due to vibrations of the devices. For this reason, it is preferable that the wires, in particular, be firmly secured to the gas box and protected.

[0008] Generally, rubber grommets are used to cover the edges of holes in the housing to protect the wiring extending from the housing. However, using grommets alone does not provide a sufficient seal, so they may not be sufficient in situations where highly dangerous and reactive gases may leak inside, such as gas boxes.

[0009] Furthermore, standards stipulate that explosion-proof measures are required for wiring and electrical equipment placed in an environment where flammable gas may be present. Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe explosion-proof connectors for drawing wiring to the outside while ensuring that the wiring is not in contact with gas. However, while the use of such explosion-proof connectors is suitable for ensuring the sealing of the inside of the box, it significantly increases manufacturing costs.

[0010] Therefore, particularly in a gas supply system, it would be advantageous to have a fixing structure that is relatively simple in structure and that allows wiring and piping to be pulled out from a gas box to the outside while ensuring sufficient sealing properties.

[0011] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a fixing structure for wiring or piping that allows the wiring or piping to be pulled out to the outside while providing sufficient airtightness to the gas box.

[0012] A fixing structure for wiring or piping according to an embodiment of the present invention is a fixing structure for fixing wiring or piping extending from the inside to the outside of a gas box, and comprises: a plate-shaped member that faces the gas box and is fixed to the gas box, the plate-shaped member having a passage for the wiring or piping; a plate-shaped pressing member that is placed on the surface of the plate-shaped member opposite the gas box, the pressing member having the passage for the wiring or piping; and an annular sealing member fixed to the outer periphery of the wiring or piping, wherein a step portion is formed around the passage portion for the wiring or piping on the surface of the plate-shaped member facing the pressing member on the opposite side of the gas box, and the annular sealing member is housed in the step portion of the plate-shaped member and is pressed by the pressing member.

[0013] In one embodiment, the plate-shaped member includes a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion adjacent to each other along an in-plane direction, and a passage for the wiring or piping and the step portion are formed at the boundary between the first plate-shaped portion and the second plate-shaped portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the pressing member includes a first pressing portion and a second pressing portion adjacent to each other along an in-plane direction, and a passage for the wiring or piping is formed at the boundary between the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion, and the direction in which the boundary between the first plate-shaped portion and the second plate-shaped portion extends intersects with the direction in which the boundary between the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion extends.

[0015] In one embodiment, the annular sealing member includes a first annular sealing material and a second annular sealing material arranged adjacent to each other along the extension direction of the wiring or piping, and each of the first annular sealing material and the second annular sealing material has a cut portion, and the cut portion of the first annular sealing material and the cut portion of the second annular sealing material are arranged at different positions.

[0016] In one embodiment, the gas supply device further includes a film-like sealing material disposed between the gas box and the plate-like member.

[0017] In one embodiment, the pressing member is fixed to the plate-like member by a screw, and the plate-like member is fixed to the gas box by a screw.

[0018] In one embodiment, the plate-shaped member has a protrusion on the side of the gas box where a passage for the wiring or piping is provided, and the protrusion of the plate-shaped member is press-fitted into an opening provided in the gas box and having a shape corresponding to the protrusion.

[0019] According to the wiring or piping fixing structure of the embodiment of the present invention, the wiring or piping drawn out from the gas box can be properly fixed to the gas box while providing the gas box with sufficient sealing properties.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a fixing structure for wiring or piping according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view for explaining a state when the fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a manner in which the fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a gas box; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a gas box to which the fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached; Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the arrangement of a film-like sealing material provided in the fixing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, although the following description focuses on a fixing structure for piping, it can also be used in the same way as a fixing structure for wiring. The present applicant also describes a fixing structure for wiring or piping extending from a gas box in Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-64360, but the embodiments of the present invention described below can further improve sealing performance, particularly in a fixing structure for drawing out and fixing piping.

[0022] 1 shows a state in which a pipe 20 is fixed to a gas box 30 by a fixing structure 10 for a pipe 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A gas processing device 40 to be incorporated into a gas supply system is housed inside the gas box 30. The pipe 20 is connected to the gas processing device 40 and extends from the gas processing device 40 to the outside through an opening 30H of the gas box 30. A joint 20C is provided at the tip of the pipe 20 for connecting to other pipes, etc.

[0023] The gas processing device 40 housed inside the gas box 20 may have various configurations. The gas processing device 40 may include a flow control device and a vaporizer, and may, for example, include a plurality of vaporization supply devices provided for each line as described in Patent Document 4. However, the gas processing device 40 is not limited to this, and may be any gas supply line component that may cause a gas leak, such as a pipe, a flow path block, or a fluid element (such as a valve).

[0024] In this embodiment, a filler gas supply pipe (not shown) is connected to the gas box 30. Typically, an inert gas (here, nitrogen gas) is supplied to the gas box 30 via the filler gas supply pipe. This prevents the leaked gas from reacting with oxygen or the like in the air drawn into the gas box, even if gas leaks from the gas processing device 40. To prevent ambient air from flowing into the gas box 30, it is desirable to maintain the pressure of the inert gas in the gas box 30 at or above the external pressure (typically atmospheric pressure).

[0025] The fixing structure 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail below. For convenience, the surface of the fixing structure 10 facing the gas box 30 will be referred to as the bottom surface, and the opposite surface will be referred to as the top surface. However, depending on the location of the fixing structure 10, the top surface and the bottom surface may be oriented in a different direction from the actual up-down direction.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 , the fixing structure 10 has a plate-like member 12 that faces the gas box 30 and is fixed to the gas box 30, a plate-like pressing member 14 that is placed on the upper surface of the plate-like member 12 (the surface opposite the gas box 30), and an annular sealing member 16 that is housed in a step portion (recess) 12R that is provided on the upper surface of the plate-like member 12.

[0027] An opening is provided in the center of the plate-like member 12 and the pressing member 14 to allow the piping 20 to pass through. The annular sealing member 16 is flexible and is fitted onto the outer peripheral surface of the piping 20. The annular sealing member 16 is deformed by being pressed by the pressing member 14, and expands slightly inside the stepped portion 12R of the plate-like member 12. With this configuration, the piping 20 can be drawn out of the gas box 30 while ensuring the sealing performance of the gas box 30.

[0028] Fig. 2 shows more specific configurations of the plate-like member 12, the pressing member 14, and the annular sealing member 16. Fig. 2 shows each member in a separated state before being attached.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the plate-shaped member 12 is composed of a first plate-shaped portion 12a and a second plate-shaped portion 12b. The first plate-shaped portion 12a and the second plate-shaped portion 12b are disposed adjacent to each other in the in-plane direction (here, the horizontal direction). Although Fig. 2 shows the first plate-shaped portion 12a and the second plate-shaped portion 12b separated from each other, when the fixing structure 10 is attached to the gas box 30, the first plate-shaped portion 12a and the second plate-shaped portion 12b are disposed adjacent to each other, forming a linear boundary extending in the in-plane direction.

[0030] An opening is formed at the boundary between the first plate-shaped portion 12a and the second plate-shaped portion 12b as a passage 12H for the piping 20. A stepped portion 12R, which is a recess having a diameter slightly larger than that of the passage 12H, is provided around the periphery of the passage 12H. As shown in FIG. 1 , an annular seal member 16 is disposed in the stepped portion 12R, and the diameter of the stepped portion 12R is set to be approximately the same size as the outer diameter of the annular seal member 16.

[0031] In this embodiment, the plate-shaped pressing member 14 is composed of a first pressing portion 14a and a second pressing portion 14b. The first pressing portion 14a and the second pressing portion 14b are adjacently disposed along the in-plane direction (here, the horizontal direction), forming a linear boundary. An opening is formed at the boundary between the first pressing portion 14a and the second pressing portion 14b as a passage 14H for the piping 20.

[0032] Here, the extending direction of the boundary between the first plate-like portion 12a and the second plate-like portion 12b in the plate-like member 12 intersects with the extending direction of the boundary between the first pressing portion 14a and the second pressing portion 14b in the pressing member 14, and is typically perpendicular as shown in the figure. In this way, by making the extending directions of the boundary different and configuring the boundary that is more prone to leak than other locations so that it is not arranged vertically, it is possible to improve sealing performance.

[0033] In this embodiment, the annular seal member 16 is composed of a first annular seal material 16a and a second annular seal material 16b that are adjacently arranged along the extension direction of the pipe 20. Each of the first annular seal material 16a and the second annular seal material 16b has a cut portion 16C. Because the cut portion 16C is formed in this manner, each annular seal material can be fitted around the pipe 20 from the outside by opening the cut portion 16C.

[0034] The cut portion 16C of the first annular sealing material 16a and the cut portion 16C of the second annular sealing material 16a are arranged in different positions. For example, the cut portion 16C of the first annular sealing material 16a is arranged at a position 45° from the innermost portion of the step portion 12R of the first plate-shaped member 12a in the in-plane direction, and the cut portion 16C of the second annular sealing material 16b is arranged at a position 45° in the opposite direction from the innermost portion of the step portion 12R of the second plate-shaped member 12b in the in-plane direction. The cut portions 16C of the first annular sealing material 16a and the second annular sealing material 16a are arranged in positions that differ by 180°.

[0035] By changing the positions of the cut portions 16C in this way, the cut portions 16C, which are more susceptible to leaks than other portions, can be configured not to be lined up in the vertical direction, thereby improving the sealing performance. Also, by changing the positions of the cut portions 16C, the portions that are more susceptible to leaks when deformation occurs due to pressure from the pressing member 14 are dispersed, thereby improving the sealing performance.

[0036] For example, in the case where the pipe diameter is about 10 mm, the plate-like member 12 is formed, for example, from a metal plate (e.g., an aluminum plate) having a thickness of 3 to 5 mm. The pressing member 14 is formed, for example, from a metal plate (e.g., a stainless steel plate) having a thickness of 1 to 2 mm. The annular seal member 16 is formed from a resin O-ring having an inner diameter of about 10 mm. In this embodiment, the annular seal member 16 having a thickness of about 3 mm is fitted around the periphery of the pipe 20 by arranging O-rings having a thickness of about 1.5 mm. However, this is not limited to these, and each member can be formed from various materials as long as it can appropriately prevent leakage from around the periphery of the pipe 20.

[0037] Figure 3 is an oblique view showing the annular sealing member 16, which is composed of only the first plate-shaped portion 12a, which is one of the plate-shaped materials 12, only the first pressing portion 14a, which is one of the pressing members 14, and the first annular sealing material 16a and the second annular sealing material 16b, to show the internal structure in the installed state.

[0038] 3, the annular sealing member 16 is fitted around the piping 20 and accommodated in the stepped portion 12R of the plate-shaped material 12. The upper surface of the annular sealing member 16 is pressed by the pressing member 14, causing it to deform slightly and improving the sealing performance at the stepped portion 12R. In this way, the opening 30H of the gas box 30 is completely covered, allowing the piping 20 to be pulled out of the gas box with a high degree of sealing.

[0039] 3 also shows a film-like sealing material (packing) 18 arranged around the opening 30H of the gas box. The film-like sealing material 18 can improve the adhesion between the plate-like member 12 and the gas box 30, thereby improving the sealing performance.

[0040] Fig. 4 shows a mode of attachment of the fixing structure 10 to the gas box 30. Fig. 5 shows one mode of the gas box 30 to which the fixing structure 10 is attached. The gas box 30 shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is a part of the entire gas box, and corresponds to the upper box to which the fixing structure 10 is attached. An actual gas box is constructed by airtightly attaching the upper box shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to a lower box that houses the gas processing device 40 (see Fig. 1).

[0041] 4 shows both the fixing structure 10 before attachment (the pressing member 14, the annular sealing member 16, and the plate-like member 12 shown at the top of the drawing) and the fixing structure in a state where it is attached to the gas box 30. In order to avoid complicating the drawing, the piping and wiring to be fixed are omitted.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, fixing structures 10 are arranged at three locations on the top surface of the gas box 30. Fixing structures 10 of different shapes and sizes are used to suit the size of the piping to be drawn out, but all of the fixing structures 10 have the same configuration. Here, the largest fixing structure 10 shown in the center of the figure will be described.

[0043] 4, six fixing holes are formed in the plate-shaped member 12 of the fixing structure 10, and the plate-shaped member 12 is firmly fixed to the upper surface of the gas box 30 by six screws s1. Four fixing holes are formed in the holding member 14, and the holding member 14 is firmly fixed to the upper surface of the plate-shaped member 12 by four screws s2. When the holding member 14 is fixed to the plate-shaped member 12 by the screws s2, the holding member 14 comes into contact with the annular seal member 16 that was previously housed in the stepped portion 12R, and by tightening the screws s2, the annular seal member 16 can be pressed from above and deformed.

[0044] The plate-like member 12 also has a plate-like protrusion 12p on the bottom surface that is smaller than the top surface, and this protrusion 12p is formed to a size that allows it to be press-fitted into the opening 30H of the gas box 30.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the gas box 30 (upper box) to which the fixing structure 10 is attached. The gas box 30 shown in Fig. 5 is composed of a first portion 30a, a second portion 30b, and a third portion 30c, which are arranged adjacent to each other in the in-plane direction and are joined together with high airtightness.

[0046] An opening 30H through which the fixing structure 10 is fixed is formed at the joint between the first portion 30a and the second portion 30b (and at the joint between the second portion 30b and the third portion 30c). In the illustrated embodiment, both the first portion 30a and the second portion 30b have recessed regions in the in-plane direction, and these recessed regions form the opening 30H. However, this is not limited to this; a recessed region may be formed in only one of the first portion 30a and the second portion 30b. Here, a divided gas box is used to properly enclose the piping 20, which extends from the gas processing device 40 as shown in FIG. 1 and bends, after being housed in the lower box. However, an integrated gas box having the opening 30H may be used as long as the piping 20 can pass through.

[0047] The opening 30H provided in the gas box 30 has substantially the same planar shape as the protruding portion 12p of the plate-like member 12 shown in Fig. 4, and is formed to be slightly smaller in size than the protruding portion 12p. Therefore, the protruding portion 12p is press-fitted into the opening 30H, and almost no gap is formed, so that a high level of sealing can be maintained.

[0048] Also, a film-like sealing material 18 may be disposed around the opening 30H of the gas box 30. Details of the film-like sealing material 18 will be described later. The film-like sealing material 18 may be attached to the back surface of the plate-like member 12 instead of the gas box 30, or only a portion of it (for example, a portion spanning the boundary of the divided gas box 30) may be attached to the back surface of the plate-like member 12.

[0049] The pipes 20 can be fixed to the gas box 30 with a high degree of sealing performance using the fixing structure 10, for example, as follows: First, with the gas processing device 40 housed inside the gas box 30, the pipes 20 are protruded outward from the opening 30H of the gas box 30. For example, if there are multiple pipes 20, including a bent pipe 20 as shown in FIG. 1 , assembly can be facilitated by using separate upper boxes that are combined to form the opening 30H.

[0050] Next, the protruding portion 12p of the plate-shaped member 12 is press-fitted into the opening 30H, and the plate-shaped member 12 is tightly and airtightly fixed to the gas box 30 with the screw s1. At this time, if it is difficult to pass the plate-shaped member 12 through the tip of the pipe 20, assembly can be made easier by using a divided plate-shaped member 12.

[0051] Next, the cut portion 16C is opened and the annular sealing member 16 is fitted onto the piping 20 from the outside, and then moved along the piping 20 to the stepped portion 16R of the plate-like member 12 and housed therein. Finally, the pressing member 14 is placed over the annular sealing member 16, and the pressing member 14 is firmly fixed to the plate-like member 12 with the screws s2. Again, if it is difficult to pass the pressing member 14 through the tip of the piping 20, assembly can be made easier by using a divided pressing member 14. This allows the piping 20 to be pulled out of the gas box 30 and fixed while maintaining high sealing performance.

[0052] 6(a) and (b) show the arrangement of a film-like sealing material 18 used to improve airtightness. For example, a conductive packing can be used as the film-like sealing material 18. The use of a conductive packing also has the effect of preventing static electricity, which is likely to occur when painting the housing. However, the film-like sealing material 18 does not necessarily have to be conductive as long as it can provide sufficient sealing properties.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 6(a), airtightness can be improved by arranging a film-like sealing material 18 on the contact surface with the plate-like member 12 so as to surround the opening 30H of the gas box 30. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6(b), when the plate-like member 12 is formed by combining a first divided plate-like portion 12a and a second divided plate-like portion 12b, airtightness can be improved by arranging a film-like sealing material 18 on the boundary surface between them.

[0054] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications are possible. For example, when flexible wiring is to be drawn out from inside a gas box, a single, undivided plate-shaped member or pressing member can be used. The annular sealing member may be composed of a single annular sealing material, or may be composed of three or more annular sealing materials. Furthermore, the stepped portion of the plate-shaped member that houses the annular sealing material does not have to be formed as a cylindrical recess, and may have, for example, a curved surface on the periphery that fits the annular sealing material, as long as it can improve sealing performance.

[0055] The wiring or piping fixing structure according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitably used to firmly fix wiring or piping extending from a gas processing device arranged inside a gas box to the gas box with high sealing properties.

[0056] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Fixing structure 12 Plate-shaped member 14 Pressing member 16 Annular sealing member 20 Pipe 30 Gas box 40 Gas treatment device

Claims

1. A fixing structure for fixing wiring or piping extending from the inside to the outside of a gas box, comprising: a plate-shaped member facing the gas box and fixed to the gas box, the plate-shaped member having a passage for the wiring or piping; a plate-shaped pressing member placed on a surface of the plate-shaped member opposite the gas box, the pressing member having a passage for the wiring or piping; and an annular sealing member fixed to the outer periphery of the wiring or piping, wherein a step is formed around the passage for the wiring or piping on the surface of the plate-shaped member facing the pressing member on the opposite side to the gas box, and the annular sealing member is received in the step of the plate-shaped member and pressed by the pressing member.

2. A fixing structure as described in claim 1, wherein the plate-like member includes a first plate-like portion and a second plate-like portion adjacent to each other along an in-plane direction, and a passage portion and a step portion for the wiring or piping are formed at the boundary between the first plate-like portion and the second plate-like portion.

3. The fixing structure described in claim 2, wherein the pressing member includes a first pressing portion and a second pressing portion adjacent to each other along an in-plane direction, a passage portion for the wiring or piping is formed at the boundary between the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion, and the extending direction of the boundary between the first plate-like portion and the second plate-like portion intersects with the extending direction of the boundary between the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion.

4. A fixing structure described in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the annular sealing member includes a first annular sealing material and a second annular sealing material arranged adjacent to each other along the extension direction of the wiring or piping, each of the first annular sealing material and the second annular sealing material has a cut portion, and the cut portion of the first annular sealing material and the cut portion of the second annular sealing material are arranged at different positions.

5. A fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a film-like sealing material disposed between said gas box and said plate-like member.

6. A fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressing member is fixed to the plate-like member by screws, and the plate-like member is fixed to the gas box by screws.

7. A fixing structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plate-like member has a protrusion on the side of the gas box where a passage for the wiring or piping is provided, and the protrusion of the plate-like member is press-fitted into an opening of the gas box having a shape corresponding to the protrusion.

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