Vacuum Pump Rotor Capping to Prevent Reverse Gas Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor fabrication, existing vacuum pumps struggle to maintain a high vacuum state effectively, leading to potential contamination from impurities and reduced reliability due to reverse gas flows and exposure of rotating shafts during high-speed operation.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum pump design featuring a housing with an inlet port, a rotor part including a recess and rotating blades, and a capping part that overlaps the rotating shaft to prevent reverse gas flows, along with optional exhaust holes between rotating blades, ensuring stable operation and minimizing impurity introduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional vacuum pump design with exposed rotating shaft is used, then the structure is simpler, but reverse gas flows occur and impurities are introduced into the chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating shaft is nested within the rotor part structure. The rotor part includes a rotor shaft recess that receives the rotating shaft, and a capping part that covers the recess to enclose the rotating shaft within the rotor assembly, preventing exposure to the chamber environment
Solution Approach 2:
The capping part acts as an intermediary component between the rotating shaft and the chamber environment. It covers the rotor shaft recess and prevents direct communication between the rotating shaft area and the chamber, thereby preventing reverse gas flows and impurity introduction
2Reliability
If the rotor part structure is modified to include a capping part and rotor shaft recess, then reverse gas flows are prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The capping part is merged with the rotor part structure to form an integrated assembly. The capping part covers the rotor shaft recess and is positioned to work together with the rotating blades and exhaust holes, combining multiple functions within a unified structural framework
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor part structure serves multiple functions: it houses the rotating blades for gas exhaust, provides exhaust holes for gas flow, encloses the rotating shaft to prevent reverse flows, and maintains structural integrity during high-speed rotation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components
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 design effectively prevents reverse gas flows and impurity introduction, enhancing the reliability of semiconductor fabrication processes by ensuring gas flows are directed to the outlet without contamination, thus improving the vacuum pump's operational efficiency and reducing defect rates.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump, e.g., a turbo pump, may be used for exhausting gas from the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum pump includes a housing with an inlet port, a rotor part in the housing, the rotor part including a recess part facing the inlet port, and a plurality of rotating blades, a rotating shaft overlapping the recess part, and a capping part overlapping the rotating shaft and covering the recess part.