High pressure fitting

• US 5,975,590 A
• Filed: 02/17/1998
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Cowan, Norman, Gristi, Raymond, Hart, Shannon
• Primary Examiner(s): Melius, Terry Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hewitt, James M.
• Application Number:
  US09/024,679
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 285/179, 285/288.1, 285/125.1, 285/133.11, 285/228
• US Class Current: 285/133.11
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 13/02 Welded joints

Abstract

A high pressure fitting configured to be weldingly coupled to high pressure tubing is provided. The high pressure fitting and/or the tubing welded thereto may be chamfered to provided a smoother welded joint. The interior surface finish of the fitting is smoothed via an abrasive fluid flowed through the fitting'"'"'s fluid passageway. In fittings comprising a corner, the inner edge of the corner may be rounded by forcibly flowing an abrasive fluid through the fitting. Electropolishing further smoothes the interior surfaces. The inventive fitting allows flow system tolerancing to be tightly controlled by determining a desired distance between two high pressure fittings to be coupled, and adjusting the desired distance by a welded length variable.

Claims

1. A system for conducting high pressure fluid from a source of high pressure fluid to a semiconductor processing chamber, the system having:

a plurality of tubes through which the high pressure fluid flows; and

at least one fitting body for connecting the tubes and changing a direction in which the fluid flows, the fitting body comprising;

an outer surface;

an inner surface;

a passageway defined by the inner surface through which high pressure fluid is conducted, the passageway having at least a first end and a second end; and

a material thickness between the inner and outer surfaces of the fitting body sufficient to withstand the forces exerted thereon by the chance of direction of the high pressure fluid, wherein the inner and outer surfaces of at least one of the first and second ends of the passageway are welding surfaces.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the inner and outer surfaces of both the first and second ends of the passageway are welding surfaces.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the passageway further comprises a third end wherein the inner and outer surfaces of the third end are welding surfaces.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the passageway further comprises a fourth end wherein the inner and outer surfaces of the fourth end are welding surfaces.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the passageway further comprises:

a corner having an inner edge and an outer edge wherein the inner edge is rounded off.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the inner surface of at least one of the first and second ends is chamfered.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the passageway is electropolished.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of tubes is welded to the welding surfaces of the passageway.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of tubes is welded to the welding surfaces of the passageway.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end of the passageway is chamfered and has inner and outer surfaces that are welding surfaces;

and wherein one of the plurality of tubes is welded to the first end of the passageway.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end of the passageway is chamfered and has inner and outer surfaces that are welding surfaces;

and

wherein one of the plurality of tubes has a first chamfered end welded to the first end of the passageway.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first chamfered end of the tube and the chamfered end of the first end of the passageway form a "v".

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the v is at least partially filled by a weld blob.