Polyimide Silver-Plated Safety Valve for Semiconductor Cleanliness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safety valves used in high-pressure semiconductor equipment have a low cleanliness level, leading to contamination and process failures due to rubber swelling in supercritical fluids and lubricant introduction, which is inappropriate for the high cleanliness requirements of semiconductor manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A safety valve design featuring a body with a flow passage, a disc, an elastic member, and a polyimide sealing member, where the contact surfaces are plated with silver to prevent lubricant use and swelling, ensuring reliable operation in high-pressure environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional safety valve with rubber-based O-ring sealing structure is used in high-pressure equipment, then the safety valve can provide sealing function and pressure relief, but rubber swells in supercritical fluid to generate contaminants and leakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the sealing member from rubber-based O-ring to polyimide material. This material substitution eliminates the swelling issue in supercritical fluid while maintaining sealing effectiveness, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and contaminant generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite structure combining polyimide sealing member with silver-plated contact surfaces. This composite approach provides both chemical inertness (polyimide) and low friction/non-stick properties (silver plating), preventing both swelling and contaminant generation while maintaining reliable sealing.
2Ease of operation
If a conventional safety valve with lubricant is used, then the safety valve operates smoothly, but lubricant is introduced into the facility to cause process failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes lubricant from the safety valve system. By designing a valve that operates without lubricant (using silver-plated surfaces for low friction), it eliminates the source of lubricant contamination while maintaining smooth operation through the inherent low-friction properties of the silver coating.
Solution Approach 2:
The silver plating acts as an intermediary layer between moving parts, providing low-friction contact without requiring lubricant. This intermediary surface enables smooth operation while preventing direct contact that would otherwise require lubricant, thus eliminating contamination.
3Reliability
If a conventional safety valve design is used in semiconductor equipment, then the safety valve provides pressure relief function, but the low cleanliness level is inappropriate for semiconductor equipment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the material composition and surface treatment parameters of the safety valve. By using polyimide material and silver plating, it achieves a cleanliness level suitable for semiconductor equipment while maintaining pressure relief functionality, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a safety valve with a high cleanliness level, preventing contamination and process failures by eliminating lubricant use and swelling issues, thus enhancing the efficiency and reliability of substrate treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member that is connected to an opposite side of the disc and that elastically supports the disc and has a set elasticity
Implementation Method 2
a sealing member made of polyimide that is provided on contact surfaces of the disc and the valve seat
Implementation Method 3
the primary coupling part and the secondary coupling part may be plated with silver
Data Source
AI summary
A safety valve includes a body having a flow passage formed therein, the flow passage including an inlet an outlet, in which a valve seat is formed around the inlet or the outlet, a disc provided in the body, in which one side of the disc is in contact with the valve seat, an elastic member that is connected to an opposite side of the disc and that elastically supports the disc and has a set elasticity, and a sealing member made of polyimide that is provided on contact surfaces of the disc and the valve seat.