FLAP TRANSFER VALVE WITH PIVOTABLE VALVE CLOSURE BEAM

• US 20110186762A1
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• 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 8,622,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/303
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67751 vertical transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67772 involving removal of lid, door, cover

Abstract

A flap transfer valve is disclosed for the transfer of semiconductor elements or substrates into a semiconductor or substrate processing process chamber having an elongated first opening, which is surrounded in the form of a frame by a first sealing surface on a first sealing plane, and an elongated valve closure beam, having a second sealing surface which corresponds to the first sealing surface, can be brought into gas-tight contact with it, and is located on a second sealing plane. A support is arranged on the rear face of the valve closure beam, which is arranged such that it can pivot through a limited pivoting angle about a tilting axis. The support together with the valve closure beam can pivot about a pivoting axis, which lies on the first sealing plane, and the tilting axis lies on the second sealing plane.

Claims

1. 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 which lies on a first sealing plane,

an elongated valve closure beam,

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

which has a closure surface on a front face for closing the first opening, and

has a second sealing surface which corresponds to the first sealing surface, can be brought into gas-tight contact with it, and is located in the edge area of the closure surface and on a second sealing plane,

at least one support on a rear face, which is opposite the front face, of the valve closure beam, wherein the valve closure beam is arranged such that it can pivot through a limited pivoting angle about a tilting axis, which is parallel to the second longitudinal axis, via a pivotable connection on the support, and

a pivoting bearing, by means of which the support, together with the valve closure beam, can pivot about a pivoting axis, which is 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 are in gas-tight contact on the common first sealing plane and second sealing planes by exertion of a force which is applied to the rear face by means of the support, and

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

wherein

the pivoting axis lies essentially on the first sealing plane, and

the tilting axis lies essentially on the second sealing plane.

2. Flap transfer valve according to claim 1, wherein

the pivotable connection between the support and the valve closure beam is formed by at least one

tilting joint,

ball joint or

pivoting joint.

3. Flap transfer valve according to claim 1, wherein

the second sealing surface, which is located in the edge area of the closure surface, is set back in the direction of the rear face such that the closure surface—

at least in a central area of the valve closure beam—

projects beyond the second sealing plane in the direction of the front face of the valve closure beam, and

at least one recess is formed on the rear face of the closure beam—

at least in the central area of the valve closure beam—

and extends at least onto the second sealing plane in the direction of the front face, wherein the tilting axis extends in the area of the recess, and

the pivotable connection is arranged in the recess.

4. Flap transfer valve according to claim 3, wherein

the pivotable connection is formed by

the at least one recess and

at least one projection on the support, wherein

the projection projects into the recess, and a contact exists between the projection and the recess such that the valve closure beam can pivot about the tilting axis relative to the support.

5. Flap transfer valve according to claim 4, wherein

the pivotable connection is in the form of a tilting joint,

the recess has a base and

the projection has a cross section which converges to a point and has a point, with respect to the plane through which the tilting axis and the second longitudinal axis pass at right angles,

wherein there is a point or line contact on the tilting axis between the point and the base, and this forms the tilting joint.

6. Flap transfer valve according to claim 5, wherein

the projection has a V-shaped cross section, and the point is formed by the V-angle which converges at a point.

7. Flap transfer valve according to claim 5, wherein

the recess has a cross section which converges inwards with respect to the plane through which the tilting axis and the second longitudinal axis pass at right angles.

8. Flap transfer valve according to claim 7, wherein

the recess has a V-shaped cross section, and the base is formed by the V-angle, which converges bluntly.

9. Flap transfer valve according to claim 4, wherein

the recess is in the form of a groove which extends at least partially along the tilting axis, wherein the base of the groove runs on the second sealing plane, and

the projection is in the form of a wedge which extends along the tilting axis.

10. Flap transfer valve according to claim 4, wherein

a spring arrangement between the valve closure beam and the support, wherein the spring arrangement is arranged such that

the valve closure beam is held on the support, and

the projection is pushed into the recess.

11. Flap transfer valve according to claim 10, wherein

the spring arrangement is in the form of at least one leaf spring, which is arranged on the rear face of the valve closure beam, presses the projection into the recess, and is arranged transversely with respect to the tilting axis, behind the projection which projects into the recess.

12. Flap transfer valve according to claim 1, wherein

a pivot stop, which limits the pivoting angle, between the valve closure beam and the support, and

at least one spring between the valve closure beam and the support, wherein

the at least one spring presses the valve closure beam against the pivot stop in the open position, and

the valve closure beam is tilted with respect to the support when in the open position such that, during pivoting of the support and of the valve closure beam by means of the pivoting bearing from the open position to the closed position while making the contact between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface, these sealing surfaces come to rest flat on one another.

13. Flap transfer valve according to claim 1, wherein

a pivoting shaft, which extends parallel to the first longitudinal axis of the first opening and along the pivoting axis, is arranged adjacent to the first opening, to which pivoting shaft the support is attached in order to pivot about the pivoting axis.

14. Flap transfer valve according to claim 1, wherein

a shaft which can rotate about a shaft axis, which is essentially parallel to the second longitudinal axis and is at a distance from the pivoting axis,

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

at least one first arm, which is arranged on the shaft such that they rotate together and whose free end engages directly or indirectly via the support with the rear face of the valve closure beam, such that rotation of the shaft, and therefore pivoting of the first arm, about the shaft axis can result in a force being 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.