FLAP TRANSFER VALVE WITH PIVOTING BEARING

• US 20110095220A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Original Assignee: VAT Holding AG (VAT Group AG)
• Inventors: GEISER, Friedrich
• Granted Patent: US 8,870,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/298
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/2007 specially adapted operating means therefor operating means per se F16K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/2028 Details of bearings for the axis of rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/205 the sealing being arranged on the valve member
• 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 flap transfer valve is disclosed. An elongated first opening can be closed by an elongated valve closure beam, which can be pivoted via a pivoting bearing between a closed and open position. A shaft can be rotated by a drive and is operatively connected to the valve closure beam such that rotation of the shaft causes the valve closure beam to pivot. The pivoting bearing is formed by at least three bearing elements which are distributed at a distance from one another along the shaft axis in the valve housing, and on which the valve closure beam and the shaft are mounted. The shaft axis is at a distance from the pivoting axis. First arms are arranged on the shaft to provide a force to the rear face of the valve closure beam to pivot the valve closure beam. According to one development of the invention, the valve closure beam, the pivoting bearing and the shaft are arranged on a valve cover in a gas-tight valve housing, wherein the shaft, the pivoting bearing and the valve closure beam can be decoupled from the valve housing.

Claims

1. A flap transfer valve for the transfer of semiconductor elements or substrates into a semiconductor or substrate processing process chamber which can be isolated in a gas-tight manner, having

an elongated, in particular slot-like, first opening which extends along a first longitudinal axis and is surrounded in the form of a frame by a first sealing surface,

an elongated valve closure beam,

which extends along a second longitudinal axis, which is substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, and

which, on a front face has a closure surface for closing the first opening and a second sealing surface which corresponds to the first sealing surface and can be brought into gas-tight contact with it,

a pivoting bearing, by means of which the valve closure beam can be pivoted, in particular with a pivoting angle of 60°

to 105°

about a pivoting axis which is substantially parallel to the second longitudinal axis, between

a closed position in which the closure surface of the valve closure beam covers and closes the first opening, and in which the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface make gas-tight contact, and

an open position, in which the valve closure beam is pivoted away from the first opening and releases the first opening,

a shaft which can rotate about a shaft axis which is substantially parallel to the second longitudinal axis and which shaft is operatively connected to the valve closure beam such that rotation of the shaft about the shaft axis causes the valve closure beam to pivot about the pivoting axis, and

at least one drive, which is coupled to the shaft in order to rotate the shaft and to move the valve closure beam between the open position and the closed position,

wherein

the pivoting bearing is formed by at least three—

in particular at least five—

bearing elements which are distributed at a distance from one another along the shaft axis and the pivoting axis in the valve housing,

the valve closure beam is mounted on the bearing elements such that it running at the side of the first opening, in particular close to—

in particular substantially on—

the plane of the first sealing surface,

the shaft is mounted in at least some of the bearing elements,

the shaft axis runs at a distance from the pivoting axis, in the direction at right angles to the plane of the first sealing surface,

the bearing elements each have at least one associated first arm which is arranged on the shaft such that they rotate together, and

the respective first arm engages directly or indirectly at its free end with a rear face of the valve closure beam, such that, by rotation of the shaft and therefore by pivoting of the first arm about the shaft axis, a force can be applied to the rear face of the valve closure beam in order to pivot the valve closure beam about the pivoting axis between the open position and the closed position.

2. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first arms are each associated with a second arm which is mounted on the rear face of the valve closure beam such that it can pivot about a second arm axis, which runs parallel to the pivoting axis,

the first arm and the second arm are each connected to one another at their free ends such that they are articulated about a first arm axis, which is substantially parallel to the second arm axis, and

the shaft, the first arms and the second arms form a lever drive.

3. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the lengths of the first arms and of the second arms and the distances between the common shaft axis, the common first arm axis and the common second arm axis are such that the shaft axis, the first arm axis and the second arm axis lie substantially on a common plane in the closed position, and the first arms and the second arms are aligned substantially at the dead point.

4. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first arms are each arranged in the area of the bearing elements on the shaft.

5. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein

the valve closure beam, the pivoting bearing and the shaft are arranged in a valve housing,

the first opening is arranged on a first opening face of the valve housing, and a second opening, which is opposite the first opening, is arranged on a second opening face, which is opposite the first opening face—

in particular parallel to it—

of the valve housing, and

the bearing elements are mounted on an elongated side wall of the valve housing, which extends substantially at right angles between the opening faces in particular on a removable valve cover.

6. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the bearing elements each extend between the first opening face and the second opening face in the valve housing,

the bearing elements

are fixed to the valve housing on their half facing the first opening face, in particular on the half of the side wall which faces the first opening face and/or on the first opening face of the valve housing, and

are unfixed and can move, at least partially, on the half facing the opening face, at right angles to the side wall and in the direction away from the side wall, in particular on the half of the side wall facing the second opening face,

wherein the pivoting axis runs through that half of the bearing elements which faces the first opening face, and the shaft axis runs through that half of the bearing elements which faces the second opening face.

7. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 6, wherein

the halves of the bearing elements which face the first opening face rest on the side wall and are fixed to the side wall in the vertical direction, and

the halves of the bearing elements which face the second opening face rest on the side wall and are unfixed in the vertical direction away from the side wall.

8. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 1, having a valve housing, in particular a gas-tight valve housing, with

the first opening on a first opening face of the valve housing and

a second opening, which is opposite the first opening, on a second opening face, which is opposite the first opening face, of the valve housing, wherein

the valve closure beam, the pivoting bearing and the shaft are arranged in the valve housing

on an elongated side wall, the valve housing has a valve cover which is coupled in a gas-tight manner to the rest of the valve housing and can be removed in a lateral direction parallel to the first opening face,

the shaft is mounted on the valve cover such that it can rotate, and

the pivoting bearing, the shaft and the valve closure beam are arranged on the valve cover such that the shaft, the pivoting bearing and the valve closure beam can be decoupled from the valve housing by decoupling and removing the valve cover in the lateral direction.

9. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 8, wherein

the drive is arranged on a section of the valve housing which is decoupled from the valve cover, and

a coupling, which can be detached in the lateral direction, is arranged between the shaft and the drive and is designed such that the shaft can be decoupled from the drive in order to remove the valve cover.

10. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 9, wherein

the coupling is formed by a first section of the shaft and by a second section, which is coupled in an interlocking manner to the first section, of a drive shaft of the drive, wherein the interlock can be released by removing the valve cover in the lateral direction.

11. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 10, wherein

the shaft axis and a drive shaft axis of the drive shaft run parallel to one another or are collinear,

the first section of the shaft is formed by one end of the shaft, wherein the end of the shaft has a first molding which, when the shaft is in a basic position, extends at least partially at right angles to the shaft axis and in the lateral direction, and

the second section of the drive shaft is formed by one end of the drive shaft, wherein the end of the drive shaft has a second molding which, when the shaft is in the basic position, extends at least partially at right angles to the drive shaft axis and in the lateral direction, and corresponds with the first molding in order to produce the interlock.

12. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first molding and the second molding are in the form of a groove and a tongue at the end of the shaft and of the drive shaft.

13. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 10, wherein the drive shaft is passed out of the valve housing in a gas-tight manner, and the drive is arranged externally on the valve housing.

14. The flap transfer valve as claimed in claim 8, wherein the drive is coupled to the valve cover such that it can be decoupled together with the valve cover from the valve housing.