Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 7,296,783 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsubone, Tsunehiko, Kihara, Hideki, Nagayasu, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): JACYNA, J CASIMER
• Application Number:
  US11/073,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20060169939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 251/327, 251/167, 251/193, 251195-204, 251/296, 251/302, 414/217
• US Class Current: 251/327
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/18 by movement of the closure members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations

Abstract

An inexpensive and reliable vacuum processing apparatus is provided. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing them to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough; and a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first and second valve body facing a first and second opening, respectively, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing each of the openings. The gate valve includes an axial drive section coupled to the other end of the shaft for moving the shaft in the axial direction thereof, and a rotary drive section located between the one end and the other end of the shaft for rotating the shaft about a predetermined pivot crossing the axis of the shaft. The rotating force is transmitted to a spot on the shaft between the pivot and the other end along the axis of the shaft.

Claims

1. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing the vacuum vessels to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough; and

a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first valve body facing a first opening of the gate on one vacuum vessel side, a second valve body facing a second opening of the gate on the other vacuum vessel side, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing each of the openings,

the gate valve including an axial drive section coupled to the other end of the shaft for moving the shaft in the axial direction thereof, and a rotary drive section located between the one end and the other end of the shaft for rotating the shaft about a predetermined pivot crossing the axis of the shaft,

the rotating force is transmitted to a spot on the shaft between the pivot and the one end or the other end along the axis of the shaft, and

further comprising a valve chamber located in the gate, the first valve body and the second valve body being moved inside the valve chamber with motion of the shaft, wherein the first valve body is attached and coupled to the second valve body and the first valve body can be attached to and detached from the second valve body while the second valve body closes the facing opening, the shaft has a first shaft and a second shaft divided between the other end of the shaft and the axial drive section and coupled to each other, the first shaft subjected to force from the rotary drive section can slide and rotate relative to the second shaft at a coupling section between the first and second shafts, and the sample is processed in the one vacuum vessel with which the first opening communicates.

2. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing the vacuum vessels to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough; and

a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first valve body facing a first opening of the gate on one vacuum vessel side, a second valve body facing a second opening of the gate on the other vacuum vessel side, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing each of the openings,

the gate valve including an axial drive section coupled to the other end of the shaft for moving the shaft in the axial direction thereof, and a rotary drive section located between the one end and the other end of the shaft for rotating the shaft about a predetermined pivot crossing the axis of the shaft,

the rotating force is transmitted to a spot on the shaft between the pivot and the one end or the other end along the axis of the shaft, and

wherein the shaft has a first shaft and a second shaft divided between the other end of the shaft and the axial drive section and coupled to each other, and the first shaft subjected to force from the rotary drive section can slide and rotate relative to the second shaft at a coupling section between the first and second shafts.

3. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing the vacuum vessels to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough; and

a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first valve body facing a first opening of the gate on one vacuum vessel side, a second valve body facing a second opening of the gate on the other vacuum vessel side, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing each of the openings,

the gate valve including an axial drive section coupled to the other end of the shaft for moving the shaft in the axial direction thereof, and a rotary drive section located between the one end and the other end of the shaft for rotating the shaft about a predetermined pivot crossing the axis of the shaft,

the rotating force is transmitted to a spot on the shaft between the pivot and the one end or the other end along the axis of the shaft, and

wherein the shaft has a first shaft and a second shaft divided between the other end of the shaft and the axial drive section and coupled to each other, and the first shaft subjected to force from the rotary drive section can slide and rotate relative to the second shaft at a coupling section between the first and second shafts, and further comprising a bellows attached around the first shaft outside the valve chamber for sealing between the valve chamber and the periphery of the shaft while the gate valve is attached to the vessel having the valve chamber, the bellows being compressed with motion of the shaft.

4. A vacuum processing apparatus with at least two vacuum vessels, comprising:

a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing the vacuum vessels to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough;

a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first valve body facing a first opening of the gate on one vacuum vessel side, a second valve body facing a second opening of the gate on the other vacuum vessel side, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing air-tightly each of the openings by the valve bodies according to a movement of the shaft; and

a driving device which drives the shaft to push the first valve body or the second valve body toward the first opening or the second opening, respectively,

wherein the first valve body comprises a plane portion disposed at an opposite side of a closing side and is coupled to the shaft by the plane portion and is connected to another plane portion of a member disposed at the one end of the shaft, and

wherein the second valve body is coupled with respect to the first valve body so that the second valve body can be attached to and detached from the first valve body.

5. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second valve body is coupled to the first valve body so that the second valve body can be attached to and detached from the first valve body while the first valve body closes the first opening air-tightly.

6. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, while the first valve body closes the first opening air-tightly, one chamber inside the one of the vacuum vessels can be maintained at its pressure different from that of another chamber inside the other vacuum vessel.

7. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second valve body is coupled to the first valve body so that the second valve body can be attached to and detached from the first valve body while the first valve body closes the first opening air-tightly.

8. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second valve body is directly coupled to the first valve body.

9. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said another plane portion is a coupling flange of said member, at the one end of the shaft.

10. A vacuum processing apparatus with at least two vacuum vessels, comprising:

a sealed gate located between two vacuum vessels for allowing the vacuum vessels to communicate with each other and a sample subjected to processing to be transferred from one of the vacuum vessels to the other therethrough;

a gate valve located on a path of the gate, the gate valve including a first valve body facing a first opening of the gate on one vacuum vessel side, a second valve body facing a second opening of the gate on the other vacuum vessel side, and a shaft to which the valve bodies are coupled at one end thereof, the gate valve selectively opening and closing air-tightly each of the openings by the valve bodies according to a movement of the shaft; and

a driving device which drives the shaft to push the first valve body or the second valve body toward the first opening or the second opening, respectively,

wherein the first valve body comprises a plane portion disposed at an opposite side of a closing side and is coupled to the shaft by the plane portion and is connected to another plane portion disposed on the one end portion of the shaft, and

wherein the second valve body is coupled with respect to the first valve body and the second valve body can be attached to and detached from the first valve body.

11. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second valve body is coupled to the first valve body so that the second valve body can be attached to and detached from the first valve body while the first valve body closes the first opening air-tightly.

12. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, while the first valve body closes the first opening air-tightly, one chamber inside the one of the vacuum vessels can be maintained at its pressure different from that of another chamber inside the other vacuum vessel.

13. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, the second valve body is coupled to the first valve body so that the second valve body can be attached to and detached from the first valve body while the first valve body closes the first opening air-tightly.

14. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second valve body is directly coupled to the first valve body.

15. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, said another plane portion is a coupling flange at the one end of the shaft.