Rotary Feedthrough Layout for Vacuum Integrity and Lower Height
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotary feedthroughs for manufacturing apparatuses, such as those used in flat panel display and semiconductor device production, are large in size, particularly in the vertical and radial directions, necessitating a need for downsizing to reduce the overall height and footprint of the manufacturing apparatus.
Innovation Solution
A rotary feedthrough design that includes a rotating member extending through a seal partition wall, with a rotation restraining unit positioned on the vacuum side, and a seal mechanism to maintain vacuum integrity, allowing for reduced overall height and radial dimensions by incorporating a rotation restraining unit that prevents excessive rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rotary feedthrough is designed to transmit rotational driving force through a seal partition wall, then the vacuum integrity is maintained, but the overall height and radial dimensions become large
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary feedthrough is divided into separate functional modules: a drive unit on the atmospheric side and a rotation restraining unit on the vacuum side, connected through a seal partition wall. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently, reducing the overall height while maintaining vacuum integrity through the partition wall sealing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation restraining unit is positioned on the vacuum side opposite to the drive side, utilizing the radial dimension rather than extending the height. The rotating member extends horizontally through the seal partition wall, changing the dimensional arrangement from vertical stacking to horizontal extension, thereby reducing overall height.
2Device complexity
If the rotation restraining unit is positioned on the atmospheric side, then the rotational driving force transmission is simplified, but the overall height of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing the rotation restraining unit on the atmospheric side (conventional approach), the invention inverts the arrangement by positioning it on the vacuum side opposite to the drive unit. This inversion allows the rotating member to extend through the seal partition wall horizontally, reducing the vertical height requirement while maintaining the restraining function.
3Length of stationary object
If the rotary feedthrough is downsized in the vertical direction, then the building height requirement is reduced, but the rotation control precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces a purely mechanical vertical stacking arrangement with a hybrid system where the rotation restraining unit on the vacuum side provides precise rotational control through mechanical constraints on the rotating member. This allows vertical downsizing while maintaining rotation control precision through the horizontally extended configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A rotary feedthrough (10) according to the invention includes: a seal partition wall (20) dividing a space into a first space (A) and a second space (V); a rotating member (30) positioned to extend through the seal partition wall (20) and configured to transmit a rotational driving force; a rotation input unit (100) positioned in the first space (A) and configured to input a driving force to the rotating member (30); and a rotation restraining unit (40) positioned in the second space (V) and configured to restrain rotation of the rotating member (30). The rotation restraining unit (40) restrains rotation of the rotating member (30) about a rotation axis (F0) exceeding a predetermined rotation angle.