Vacuum system with a vacuum plate valve

• US 6,427,973 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2000
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TEL Solar AG (OC Oerlikon Corporation AG)
• Original Assignee: Unaxis Trading AG
• Inventors: Wagner, Rudolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bastianelli, John
• Application Number:
  US09/632,847
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 251/175, 251/187, 251/193, 251/326
• US Class Current: 251/175
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/188 by means of hydraulic forces
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations

Abstract

A vacuum arrangement with a vacuum disc valve. A support plate is movably guided along a wall with an opening that is closed or opened by a valve. A seal plate is provided on the support plate which is controlled and actuated through a cylinder chamber. When the support plate is moved, the seal plate is displaced in the direction of the opening and is tightly placed on the borders of said opening by actuation in the cylinder chamber. The resulting sealing forces are absorbed by the movement guides of the support plate.

Claims

1. Vacuum system with a wall, at least one port in the wall and a vacuum plate valve operable to control fluid flow through the at least one port, said valve comprising:

a supporting plate movable parallel to said wall, the movement path of said supporting plate running across said at least one port;

at least one sealing plate mounted on said supporting plate and facing said wall, said sealing plate being movable perpendicular to said supporting plate towards and away from said wall;

at least one fluid-expandable drive chamber operatively arranged between said supporting plate and said at least one sealing plate to drivingly move said sealing plate towards and away from said wall and thereby away from and towards said supporting plate upon supply of fluid from the outside to the drive chamber through said supporting plate and release of the fluid, respectively; and

movement guide members supporting said supporting plate with respect to said wall;

said sealing plate being movable into alignment with said at least one port by way of said movement guide members and being movable towards said at least one port by said fluid-expandable drive chamber so as to sealingly close said at least one port, whereby said supporting plate is supported by said movement guide members such that reaction forces acting on said supporting plate when said sealing plate sealingly closes said at least one port are absorbed by said guide members.

2. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said supporting plate is drivingly movable parallel to said wall.

3. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said supporting plate is movable adjacent to said wall.

4. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said supporting plate is linearly movable along said wall.

5. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said sealing plate overlaps said at least one port all around said port when said sealing plate is in alignment with said port and said fluid-expandable drive chamber is operationally arranged with said sealing plate along a fluid-pressurable surface which is larger than a surface with which said sealing plate overlaps said at least one port.

6. The vacuum system of claim 5, wherein said fluid-pressurable surface is at least twice said surface with which said sealing plate overlaps said at least one port.

7. The vacuum system of claim 5, wherein at least one sealing member is provided on the wall or the sealing plate.

8. The vacuum system of claim 7, wherein said sealing member is an elastic member.

9. The vacuum system of claim 8, wherein said elastic member is formed by an O-ring.

10. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said movement guide members comprise members rigidly mounted to said wall.

11. The vacuum system of claim 10, wherein said movement guide members comprise roller and groove guide members.

12. The vacuum system of claim 1, further comprising more than one of said ports staggered along said wall along the direction of movement of said supporting plate.

13. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said port is slit-shaped with a longitudinal axis of said slit running transversely to the direction of movement of said supporting plate.

14. The vacuum system of claim 1, further comprising more than one of said ports, said ports being slit-shaped with a longitudinal axis of said slit running transversely to the direction of movement of said supporting plate.

15. The vacuum system of claim 14, wherein said ports have an equal shape.

16. The vacuum system of claim 15, further comprising vacuum process chambers arranged vertically and each communicating with one of said ports.

17. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said fluid-expandable drive chamber comprises at least one guiding pin operating in a fluid-expanable cylinder chamber.

18. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said drive chamber is encapsulated.

19. The vacuum system of claim 18, wherein said drive chamber is encapsulated by way of at least one bellows.

20. The vacuum system of claim 19, wherein said at least one bellows is of a metallic or an elastic material.

21. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said drive chamber is encapsulated by means of an elastic material wall.

22. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said sealing plate is guided perpendicularly to said supporting plate.

23. The vacuum system of claim 22, wherein said sealing plate is guided with respect to said supporting plate by a pin and bushing arrangement.

24. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said sealing plate is guided by way of a guide pin with respect to said supporting plate.

25. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said sealing plate is guided with respect to said supporting plate with a predetermined clearance.

26. The vacuum system of claim 1, wherein said sealing plate is biased towards said supporting plate.

27. The vacuum system of claim 1, said supporting plate comprising at least one opening substantially shaped according to said at least one port, said opening being alignable with said at least one port by said supporting plate.

28. The vacuum system of claim 1, further comprising more than one of said ports staggered in the direction of movement of said supporting plate, said more than one ports having a predetermined mutual distance and wherein more than one of said sealing plates are provided on said supporting plate staggered with said distance.

29. The vacuum system of claim 28, wherein said supporting plate comprises openings between said sealing plates.

30. The vacuum system of claim 29, wherein the distance of said openings equals said mutual distance between said ports.

31. A vacuum plate valve arrangement comprising:

a supporting plate adjacent to a wall having at least one port, said supporting plate being movable along said wall and across said at least one port;

at least one sealing plate mounted on said supporting plate and facing said wall, said sealing plate being movable perpendicular to said supporting plate towards and away from said wall;

at least one fluid-expandable drive chamber operatively arranged between said supporting plate and said at least one sealing plate to drivingly move said sealing plate towards and away from said wall and thereby away from and towards said supporting plate upon supply of fluid from the outside to the drive chamber through said supporting plate and release of the fluid, respectively, to thereby sealingly close and open said at least one port; and

movement guide members supporting said supporting plate with respect to said wall;

wherein a surface of said supporting plate opposite said sealing plate is exposed to ambient.