Shuttered Gate Valve Sealing Pocket Against Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gate valves in processing equipment allow gases to flow into recesses, leading to deposits and corrosion, which can contaminate substrates during processing due to pressure changes or vibrations.
Innovation Solution
A gate valve design with a pocket and shutter mechanism that seals the pocket when open, combined with heaters to prevent deposition, ensuring contaminants do not re-enter the process environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the gate valve opening is exposed to allow gas flow, then the flow control function is improved, but deposits and corrosion occur in the recess
Solution Approach 1:
The gate valve is segmented into functional zones: the opening for gas flow and the recess for gate movement. A shutter is introduced to selectively seal the recess, allowing the opening to remain exposed for flow control while protecting the recess from harmful gas exposure during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A shutter is introduced as an intermediary component between the opening and the recess. This shutter selectively seals the recess when the gate is in the open position, preventing process gases and byproducts from entering the recess and causing deposits or corrosion, while allowing unrestricted flow through the opening.
2Reliability
If the gate is disposed within the pocket when open, then the sealing function is improved, but process gases can still enter the recess causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter is positioned and operated to seal the recess before process gases can enter and cause contamination. By preliminarily sealing the recess when the gate is open, the system prevents deposits from forming on the gate and subsequent contamination from breaking free during pressure changes or vibrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter acts as an intermediary barrier that separates the clean recess environment from the process gas flow. This intermediary component prevents harmful factors from reaching the gate while allowing the gate to maintain its sealing function when closed.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If heaters are added to prevent deposition, then the cleanliness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces potential mechanical cleaning systems with a thermal field approach using heaters. Instead of mechanically removing deposits, heaters maintain the gate and recess surfaces at temperatures that prevent deposition, simplifying the overall system while effectively addressing contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the gate and recess surfaces by introducing heaters. By maintaining elevated temperatures, the system prevents process gases and byproducts from condensing or depositing on surfaces, thereby preventing contamination without requiring complex mechanical cleaning mechanisms.
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
Prevents deposition of process gases and byproducts within the gate valve, reducing contamination risks and maintaining a clean process environment.
Implementation Method 1
a shutter configured to selectively seal the pocket when the gate is in the open position
Implementation Method 2
In some embodiments, one or more heaters may be coupled to at least one of the body or the shutter
Implementation Method 3
heating the gate valve to prevent deposition of a contaminant on exposed portions of the gate valve
Implementation Method 4
a gate movably disposed within the pocket between a closed position that seals the opening and an open position that reveals the opening
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of gate valves and methods of using same are provided herein. In some embodiments, a gate valve for use in a process chamber may include a body having an opening disposed therethrough from a first surface to an opposing second surface of the body; a pocket extending into the body from a sidewall of the opening; a gate movably disposed within the pocket between a closed position that seals the opening and an open position that reveals the opening and disposes the gate completely within the pocket; and a shutter configured to selectively seal the pocket when the gate is disposed in the open position. In some embodiments, one or more heaters may be coupled to at least one of the body or the shutter.