Cryopump control apparatus, cryopump system, and method for monitoring cryopump

• US 8,800,304 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited
• Inventors: Koyama, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Melvin
• Application Number:
  US13/495,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 62/555, 62/56, 621/29, 621/72
• US Class Current: 62/55.5
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 37/08 by condensing or freezing, e.g. cryogenic pumps

Abstract

A cryopump comprises a cryopanel that cools and thus condenses or adsorbs gas, and a pump housing that contains the cryopanel. a regeneration process of the cryopump includes a basic purge process, an evacuation processes, and an optional purge process that is executed additionally if required. The optional purge process includes one or more gas purge steps. In a cryopump control apparatus that controls the cryopump, a deterioration evaluation unit determines whether a re-purge number, which is the total number of gas purge steps that are required to be executed in one regeneration process, reaches a deterioration evaluation criteria number.

Claims

1. A cryopump control apparatus controlling a cryopump that comprises a cryopanel which cools and thus condenses or adsorbs gas, and a pump housing which contains the cryopanel, wherein

a regeneration process of the cryopump includes:

a basic purge process that includes one or more gas purge steps;

one or more evacuation processes that first evacuate the pump housing down to a vacuum retention evaluation level and evaluate a vacuum retention state; and

an optional purge process that includes one or more gas purge steps executed once or more than once if necessary, and

the cryopump control apparatus comprises

a deterioration evaluation unit operative to determine whether a re-purge number, which is the total number of one or more gas purge steps included in one or more optional purge processes that is required to be executed in one regeneration process, reaches a deterioration evaluation criteria number.

2. The cryopump control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deterioration evaluation unit determines whether a re-purge number averaged for a plurality of regeneration processes reaches the deterioration evaluation criteria number.

3. The cryopump control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an evacuation process control unit; and

an optional purge process control unit operative to determine whether the optional purge process is required,

wherein in case that the evacuation process control unit determines, in the determination of the vacuum retention state, that the vacuum retention state in the pump housing does not satisfy the vacuum retention condition, the evacuation process control unit determines to execute the evacuation process once more, and

wherein in case that a sequential execution number of the evacuation process reaches an additional purge requiring criteria number, the optional purge process control unit determines to execute an optional purge process.

4. The cryopump control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit operative, if the deterioration evaluation unit determines that a re-purge number reaches the deterioration evaluation criteria number, to transmit a warning.

5. A cryopump system comprising:

a cryopump that comprises a cryopanel which cools and thus condenses or adsorbs gas, and a pump housing which contains the cryopanel, wherein a regeneration process of the cryopump includes;

a basic purge process that includes one or more gas purge steps;

one or more evacuation processes that first evacuate the pump housing down to a vacuum retention evaluation level and evaluate a vacuum retention state; and

an optional purge process that includes one or more gas purge steps executed once or more than once if necessary; and

a cryopump control apparatus that controls the cryopump,

wherein the cryopump control apparatus comprises a deterioration evaluation unit operative to determine whether a re-purge number, which is the total number of one or more gas purge steps included in one or more optional purge processes that is required to be executed in one regeneration process, reaches a deterioration evaluation criteria number.

6. The cryopump system according to claim 5 further comprising a vacuum apparatus to which the cryopump is connected in order to evacuate gas, wherein

the cryopump control apparatus further comprises a transmission unit that transmits a warning in case that the deterioration evaluation unit determines that a re-purge number reaches the deterioration evaluation criteria number, and

the vacuum apparatus executes a predetermined process upon receiving the warning transmitted from the transmission unit.

7. A method for monitoring a cryopump that comprises a cryopanel which cools and thus condenses or adsorbs gas, and a pump housing which contains the cryopanel, wherein a regeneration process of the cryopump includes:

a basic purge process that includes one or more gas purge steps;

one or more evacuation processes that first evacuate the pump housing down to a vacuum retention evaluation level and evaluate a vacuum retention state; and

an optional purge process that includes one or more gas purge steps executed once or more than once if necessary,

the method comprising determining whether a re-purge number, which is the total number of one or more gas purge steps included in one or more optional purge processes that is required to be executed in one regeneration process, reaches a deterioration evaluation criteria number.