Two way gate valve and substrate processing system having the same

• US 9,151,393 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Npces Company Limited
• Original Assignee: New Power Plasma Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Dae-Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Fristoe, Jr., John K
• Assistant Examiner(s): DO, HAILEY KYUNG AE
• Application Number:
  US13/716,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20130153806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 251/167, 251/169, 251/195, 251/198, 251/199, 251/196, 251/197, 251/200, 251/201, 251/203, 251/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/00 Gate valves or sliding valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closing members having a sliding movement along the seat for opening and closing F16K5/00 takes precedence; in barrages or weirs E02B8/04
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28

Abstract

A two way gate valve includes a valve chamber having a first entrance coupled with a first chamber, a second entrance coupled with a second chamber, and an openable and closable chamber cover; a moving module having a first sealing plate for sealing the first entrance, a second sealing plate for sealing the second entrance, and a moving module body to which the first and the second sealing plates are mounted; a push-pull module having a push-pull module body coupled with the moving module body such that the moving module body can linearly move, a first operating body for moving the moving module in a first entrance direction such that the first sealing plate seals the first entrance, and a second operating body for moving the moving module in a second entrance direction such that the second sealing plate seals the second entrance.

Claims

1. A two way gate valve comprising:

a valve chamber having

a first entrance coupled with a first chamber,

a second entrance coupled with a second chamber, and

an openable and closable chamber cover;

a moving module including

a first sealing plate for sealing the first entrance,

a second sealing plate for sealing the second entrance, and

a moving module body to which the first and the second sealing plates are mounted;

a push-pull module including

a push-pull module body coupled with the moving module body such that the moving module body can linearly move,

a first operating body disposed inside the push-pull module body and directly contacting the first sealing plate to move the first sealing plate in a first entrance direction such that the first sealing plate seals the first entrance, and

a second operating body disposed inside the push-pull module body and directly contacting the second sealing plate to move the second sealing plate in a second entrance direction such that the second sealing plate seals the second entrance,

wherein the first operating body and the second operating body are disposed in a row along the push-pull module body;

a first driving unit, coupled with the first operating body, to drive the first operating body;

a second driving unit, coupled with the second operating body, to drive the second operating body; and

a third driving unit moving the push-pull module between an operation position and a standby position,

wherein the first, second and third driving units are arranged in the row and the third driving unit is disposed in a middle of the row, and

wherein, when the push-pull module is moved to the operation position by the third driving unit, the first operating body is operated by the first driving unit and the second operating body is operated by the second driving unit, so that one of the first entrance and the second entrance is selectively sealed.

2. The two way gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the first operating body comprises a push bar having

a rotating axis rotatably coupled with the push-pull module body, and

a moving axis connected to the first driving unit,

wherein when the first driving unit moves the moving axis, the push bar directly pushes and moves the module first sealing plate in the first entrance direction while rotating on the rotating axis, so that the first sealing plate seals the first entrance.

3. The two way gate valve according to claim 1, further comprising a bellows for vacuum-sealing the first to third driving units within the valve chamber.

4. The two way gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the push-pull module comprises an elastic member for returning the moving module body to an original position after the moving module body is operated by the first operating body or the second operating body.

5. The two way gate valve according to claim 1, further comprising one or more rollers provided between the push-pull module and the moving module.

6. The two way gate valve according to claim 1, wherein the first driving unit comprises

a first shaft coupled with the first operating body, and

a first cylinder for driving the first shaft,

the second driving unit comprises

a second shaft coupled with the second operating body, and

a second cylinder for driving the second shaft, and

the third driving unit comprises

a third shaft coupled with the push-pull module, and

a third cylinder for driving the third shaft.

7. The two way gate valve according to claim 6, wherein the first to the third cylinders correspond to one of a hydraulically driven cylinder, a pneumatically driven cylinder, and a solenoid-driven cylinder.

8. A substrate processing system comprising:

a first chamber;

a second chamber;

a valve chamber having

a first entrance coupled with the first chamber,

a second entrance coupled with the second chamber, and

an openable and closable chamber cover;

a moving module including

a first sealing plate for sealing the first entrance,

a sealing plate for sealing the second entrance, and

a moving module body to which the first and second sealing plates are mounted;

a push-pull module including

a push-pull module body coupled with the moving module body such that the moving module body can linearly move,

a first operating body disposed inside the push-pull module body and directly contacting the first sealing plate to move the first sealing plate in a first entrance direction such that the first sealing plate seals the first entrance, and

a second operating body disposed inside the push-pull module body and directly contacting the second sealing plate to move the second sealing plate in a second entrance direction such that the second sealing plate seals the second entrance, wherein the first operating body and the second operating body are disposed in a row along the push-pull module body;

a first driving unit, coupled with the first operating body, to drive the first operating body;

a second driving unit, coupled with the second operating body, to drive the second operating body; and

a third driving unit moving the push-pull module between an operation position and a standby position,

wherein the first, second and third driving units are arranged in the row and the third driving unit is disposed in a middle of the row, and

wherein, when the push-pull module is moved to the operation position by the third driving unit, the first operating body is operated by the first driving unit or the second operating body is operated by the second driving unit, so that one of the first entrance and the second entrance is selectively sealed.

9. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first and second chambers are process chambers for vacuum-processing a substrate to be processed.

10. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first chamber corresponds to a transfer chamber having a transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed, and the second chamber corresponds to a loadlock chamber for exchanging a substrate to be processed.

11. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first operating body comprises a push bar having

a rotating axis rotatably coupled with the push-pull module body, and

a moving axis connected to the first driving unit,

wherein when the first driving unit moves the moving axis, the push bar directly pushes and moves the first sealing plate in the first entrance direction while rotating on the rotating axis, so that the first sealing plate seals the first entrance.

12. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first driving unit comprises

a first shaft coupled with the first operating body, and

a first cylinder for driving the first shaft,

the second driving unit comprises

a second shaft coupled with the second operating body, and

a second cylinder for driving the second shaft, and

the third driving unit comprises

a third shaft coupled with the push-pull module, and

a third cylinder for driving the third shaft.

13. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first to the third cylinders correspond to one of a hydraulically driven cylinder, a pneumatically driven cylinder, and a solenoid-driven cylinder.

14. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, further comprising a bellows for vacuum-sealing the first to third driving units within the valve chamber.

15. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the push-pull module comprises an elastic member for returning the moving module body to an original position after the moving module body is operated by the first operating body or the second operating body.

16. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, further comprising one or more rollers provided between the push-pull module and the moving module.

17. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first chamber corresponds to a transfer chamber having a transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to be processed, and the second chamber corresponds to a process chamber for vacuum-processing a substrate to be processed.

18. The substrate processing system according to claim 17, wherein the transfer chamber corresponds to one of an atmospheric pressure chamber and a vacuum chamber.