Door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber

• US 10,184,291 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Original Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Inventors: Blecha, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Redman, Jerry E
• Application Number:
  US15/536,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20170328125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 49254, 49255, 49256
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/0604 allowing an additional movement E05D15/10 takes precedence; raising wings before sliding E05D15/565
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/58 with both swinging and sliding movements
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/50 using fluid-pressure actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 5/10 for protection against air-raid or other war-like action; for other protective purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 7/22 by means of elastic edgings, e.g. elastic rubber tubes; by means of resilient edgings, e.g. felt or plush strips, resilient metal strips E06B7/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 7/28 Other arrangements on doors or windows, e.g. door-plates, windows adapted to carry plants, hooks for window cleaners edge protecting devices for door leaves E06B3/88; special glazing; emergency glazing; double glazing E06B3/66
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/18 by movement of the closure members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28

Abstract

A door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber in relation to a surrounding space, in which the vacuum chamber is located, includes a door housing arranged, a closing member arranged in the surrounding space, and a rod, to which the closing member is connected. A first movement of the rod, through which the closing member is displaced from an open position into an intermediate position, occurs as a displacement of the rod in a longitudinal axis direction, and a second movement of the rod subsequent thereto is a displacement at an angle to the longitudinal axis or a pivoting about a pivot axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis from the intermediate position into a closed position. The rod is moveably mounted via the bearing elements, that are arranged in an inner space of the door housing that is sealed with respect to the surrounding space or is connected to the surrounding space via a passage, with a filter, extending through a housing wall of the door housing. The rod is guided out of the inner space in a sealed manner.

Claims

1. A door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber in relation to a surrounding space in which the vacuum chamber is located, comprising

a door housing arranged in the surrounding space,

a closure member which is arranged in the surrounding space and is adjustable over an adjustment path from an open position for opening up the chamber opening into a closed position for closing the chamber opening,

and a rod which has a longitudinal axis and to which the closure member is connected, wherein the closure member is adjusted over the adjustment path by a first movement of the rod and a subsequent second movement of the rod, and the first movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the open position into an intermediate position, is a displacement of the rod in a direction of the longitudinal axis, and the subsequent second movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the intermediate position into the closed position, is at least one of a displacement of the rod in a direction at an angle to the longitudinal axis or a pivoting of the rod about a pivot axis which is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing by bearing elements, said bearing elements, by which the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing, are arranged in an interior space of the door housing, and the rod is guided out of said interior space into the surrounding space in a sealed manner,

wherein said interior space is sealed in relation to the surrounding space and said interior space is evacuated via a passage passing through a housing wall of the door housing.

2. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one pneumatic piston-cylinder unit which has a piston with a piston rod attached thereto is completely arranged in the interior space of the door housing.

3. The door as claimed in claim 2, wherein there are at least two of the pneumatic piston-cylinder units and both the first movement of the rod and the second movement of the rod are drivable by the pneumatic piston-cylinder units which have pistons and piston rods attached to the pistons, and all of the piston-cylinder units moving the rod are completely arranged in the interior space of the door housing.

4. The door as claimed in claim 1, wherein a circumferentially closed seal is arranged on the closure member, said seal, in the closed position of the closure member, is pressed against a sealing face surrounding the chamber opening, or a circumferentially closed sealing face is arranged on the closure member, said sealing face, in the closed position of the closure member, is pressed against a seal which is arranged on the chamber wall and surrounds the chamber opening.

5. The door as claimed in claim 1, further comprising bellows, and the rod is led out of the interior space of the door housing in a manner sealed by the bellows.

6. A door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber in relation to a surrounding space in which the vacuum chamber is located, comprising

a door housing arranged in the surrounding space,

a closure member which is arranged in the surrounding space and is adjustable over an adjustment path from an open position for opening up the chamber opening into a closed position for closing the chamber opening,

and a rod which has a longitudinal axis and to which the closure member is connected, wherein the closure member is adjusted over the adjustment path by a first movement of the rod and a subsequent second movement of the rod, and the first movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the open position into an intermediate position, is a displacement of the rod in a direction of the longitudinal axis, and the subsequent second movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the intermediate position into the closed position, is at least one of a displacement of the rod in a direction at an angle to the longitudinal axis or a pivoting of the rod about a pivot axis which is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing by bearing elements, said bearing elements, by which the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing, are arranged in an interior space of the door housing, and the rod is guided out of said interior space into the surrounding space in a sealed manner,

wherein said interior space is connected to the surrounding space only via a passage which passes through a housing wall of the door housing and in which a particle filter is arranged and said interior space is otherwise sealed from the surrounding space.

7. A door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber in relation to a surrounding space in which the vacuum chamber is located, comprising

a door housing arranged in the surrounding space,

a closure member which is arranged in the surrounding space and is adjustable over an adjustment path from an open position for opening up the chamber opening into a closed position for closing the chamber opening,

and a rod which has a longitudinal axis and to which the closure member is connected, wherein the closure member is adjusted over the adjustment path by a first movement of the rod and a subsequent second movement of the rod, and the first movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the open position into an intermediate position, is a displacement of the rod in a direction of the longitudinal axis, and the subsequent second movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the intermediate position into the closed position, is at least one of a displacement of the rod in a direction at an angle to the longitudinal axis or a pivoting of the rod about a pivot axis which is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing by bearing elements, said bearing elements, by which the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing, are arranged in an interior space of the door housing, and the rod is guided out of said interior space into the surrounding space in a sealed manner,

wherein said interior space is sealed in relation to the surrounding space and said interior space is connected via a passage passing through a housing wall of the door housing to an exterior space which is separate from the surrounding space in which the door housing is arranged.

8. A door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber in relation to a surrounding space in which the vacuum chamber is located, comprising

a door housing arranged in the surrounding space,

a closure member which is arranged in the surrounding space and is adjustable over an adjustment path from an open position for opening up the chamber opening into a closed position for closing the chamber opening,

and a rod which has a longitudinal axis and to which the closure member is connected, wherein the closure member is adjusted over the adjustment path by a first movement of the rod and a subsequent second movement of the rod, and the first movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the open position into an intermediate position, is a displacement of the rod in a direction of the longitudinal axis, and the subsequent second movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the intermediate position into the closed position, is at least one of a displacement of the rod in a direction at an angle to the longitudinal axis or a pivoting of the rod about a pivot axis which is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing by bearing elements, said bearing elements, by which the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing, are arranged in an interior space of the door housing, and the rod is guided out of said interior space into the surrounding space in a sealed manner,

wherein said interior space is sealed in relation to the surrounding space and in order to compensate changes of a volume of said interior space in the process of opening and closing the door, an expansion vessel with an inner expansion space, a volume of which is changeable, is provided, wherein the expansion vessel is arranged in said interior space, which is completely closed, or is arranged in the surrounding space, in which the door housing is located, and is connected to said interior space via a passage passing through a housing wall of the door housing.

9. A door for closing a chamber opening in a chamber wall of a vacuum chamber in relation to a surrounding space in which the vacuum chamber is located, comprising

a door housing arranged in the surrounding space,

a closure member which is arranged in the surrounding space and is adjustable over an adjustment path from an open position for opening up the chamber opening into a closed position for closing the chamber opening,

and a rod which has a longitudinal axis and to which the closure member is connected, wherein the closure member is adjusted over the adjustment path by a first movement of the rod and a subsequent second movement of the rod, and the first movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the open position into an intermediate position, is a displacement of the rod in a direction of the longitudinal axis, and the subsequent second movement of the rod, by which the closure member is adjusted from the intermediate position into the closed position, is at least one of a displacement of the rod in a direction at an angle to the longitudinal axis or a pivoting of the rod about a pivot axis which is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis, the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing by bearing elements, said bearing elements, by which the rod is mounted movably over the first movement and over the second movement in relation to the door housing, are arranged in an interior space of the door housing, and the rod is guided out of said interior space into the surrounding space in a sealed manner,

wherein said interior space is sealed in relation to the surrounding space or is connected to the surrounding space via a passage which passes through a housing wall of the door housing and in which a particle filter is arranged, and

wherein in a region in which the door housing is fastenable to the chamber wall via fastening screws, the door housing has elevations for abutment against the chamber wall and, in a region located further away from the fastening screws than the elevations, the door housing is recessed in relation to the elevations in order to form a gap between the door housing and the chamber wall.