Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6517087?ie=ISO-8859-1
Timestamp: 2015-05-26 06:18:58
Document Index: 207253232

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 9292023', 'Application No. 9292023', 'arts 10', 'art 10', 'art 11', 'art 10', 'art 11', 'art 11', 'art 10']

Patent US6517087 - High pressure seal - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA seal is formed between two parts of a high pressured chamber by means of a rigid ring, which is formed with curved surfaces, that engage with an anvil and an enclosure part, the anvil having a similar curved projection. At least one of the engaging surfaces is coated with a soft metal e.g. silver....http://www.google.com/patents/US6517087?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6517087 - High pressure sealAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6517087 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/901,615Publication dateFeb 11, 2003Filing dateJul 11, 2001Priority dateAug 1, 1996Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1226956A, DE19781887B4, DE19781887T0, DE19781887T1, US6279917, US20010042963, WO1998005888A1Publication number09901615, 901615, US 6517087 B2, US 6517087B2, US-B2-6517087, US6517087 B2, US6517087B2InventorsAndrew Isaac Jeffryes, Robert Kenneth TrowellOriginal AssigneeTrikon Equipments LimitedExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (10), Classifications (8), Legal Events (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetHigh pressure seal
US 6517087 B2Abstract
A seal is formed between two parts of a high pressured chamber by means of a rigid ring, which is formed with curved surfaces, that engage with an anvil and an enclosure part, the anvil having a similar curved projection. At least one of the engaging surfaces is coated with a soft metal e.g. silver.
What is claimed is: 1. A high pressure chamber comprising upper and lower enclosures and a high pressure seal, wherein the high pressure seal is formed between two vertically aligned engaging parts of rigid elements which are secured to the upper and lower enclosures, and wherein the high pressure seal includes a coating of a noble metal over a contact surface of at least one of the engaging parts, and means for urging the vertically aligned engaging parts into direct contact with each other in a vertical direction only, wherein the high pressure seal is devoid of a separate gasket between the engaging parts when the engaging parts are in direct contact with each other wherein the upper and lower enclosures define a semiconductor materials processing chamber, and wherein at least one of the engaging parts has a curved contact surface.
2. A chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rigid elements are made of steel or aluminium.
3. A chamber as claimed in claim 2, wherein a first of the two engaging parts is a rigid ring member sealingly secured to the upper enclosure, and wherein a second of the two engaging parts is an anvil sealingly secured to the lower enclosure.
4. A chamber as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coating is between 15 and 20 μm thick.
5. A chamber as claimed in claim 2, wherein the coating is gold, platinum, pallidium or copper or a combination of these.
6. A chamber as claimed in claim 2, wherein the high pressure seal further includes an underlayer beneath the coating of the noble metal.
7. A chamber as claimed in claim 6, wherein the underlayer is approximately 2 μm thick.
8. A chamber as claimed in claim 6, wherein the underlayer is nickel.
9. A chamber as claimed in claim 8, wherein the underlayer is approximately 2 μm thick.
10. A chamber as claimed in claim 9, wherein the coating is between 15 and 20 μm thick.
11. A chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high pressure seal further includes an underlayer beneath the coating of the noble metal.
12. A chamber as claimed in claim 11, wherein the underlayer is nickel.
13. A chamber as claimed in claim 12, wherein the underlayer is approximately 2 μm thick.
14. A chamber as claimed in claim 11, wherein the underlayer is approximately 2 μm thick.
15. A chamber as claimed in claim 14, wherein the coating is between 15 and 20 μm thick.
16. A chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coating is between 15 and 20 μm thick.
17. A chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coating is gold, platinum, pallidium or copper or a combination of these.
18. A chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first of the two engaging parts is a rigid ring member sealingly secured to the upper enclosure, and wherein a second of the two engaging parts, is an anvil sealingly secured to the lower enclosure.
19. The high pressure chamber of claim 1, wherein the upper and lower enclosures form a semiconductor wafer processing chamber.
This is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/214,492, filed Jul. 30, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,917 granted Aug. 28, 2001, which is the U.S. national stage of International Application No. PCT/GB97/01963, filed Jul. 18, 1997. The entire contents of said U.S. application are incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to high pressure seals and in particular, but not exclusively, when such seals are being formed between two rigid elements.
There are a number of occasions in which it is necessary to form seals between two engaging metal faces which are being pressed together, but which are subject to significant fluid pressure which is acting in a sense to urge them apart. It is often desirable that these seals are made and remade over a large number of cycles. Previous seals have used a grease such as a silicone based vacuum grease to lubricate the wear surfaces. Such grease is also used when O-rings are provided. In certain instances this grease is undesirable, because cleaning and regreasing can be needed on a regular basis causing down time of apparatus.
One example of such a sealing arrangement is described in WC-A-9308591 wherein a high pressure chamber is being used to process semiconductor wafers. A particular requirement of such an arrangements is that the levels of particulate material must be kept to a minimum.
JP-A-57167568 (Abstract) discloses a metal gasket which does not cause creep at its sealing edge. A relatively thick copper coating is used.
From one aspect the present invention consists in a vacuum or high pressure reusable seal formed between two engaging parts of rigid elements comprising, a coating of a soft metal over at least one of the engaging parts and means for using the parts together. The rigid elements may be formed of steel or aluminum.
The seal may include an underlayer, which may, for example, be nickel. That underlayer may be approximately 2 μm thick. The coating may be between 15 μm and 20 μm thick.
The coating may be gold, silver, platinum, palladium copper, lead or indium, or a combination of these. However, materials such as gold and copper diffuse quite readily into semiconductor materials such as silicon or gallium arsenide and so if the seal is being used in association with a machine for processing such materials, those metals may not be appropriate.
A particularly preferred coating is silver and this coating is suitable for use with semiconductor materials.
The invention also includes a high pressure chamber formed by two closable portions and a seal as defined above.
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-section through a machine of the type described in European Patent Application No. 9292023.4;
FIG. 2 is a detail at A of the seal of that apparatus; and
FIG. 3 is a corresponding view of a seal utilizing seal of the invention.
The apparatus will not be described in detail, but instead the disclosure of European Patent Application No. 9292023.4 is incorporated for that purpose. However, essentially, two enclosure parts 10, and 11, are forced together to form a chamber 12 between them in which semiconductor wafers are processed. As can be seen in FIG. 2 five sealing interfaces occur between the enclosure part 10 and the enclosure part 11. The first seal is formed between a gasket 16 and the upper enclosure part 10. A rigid ring 13 forms seals with the gasket 16 and, at 15, with an anvil 14. The anvil 14 is secured to the lower enclosure part 11 and uses an O-ring to provide a seal between the anvil and the enclosure part 11.
Turning to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the rigid ring 13 is now formed with curved surfaces 17 and 19 that engage with the anvil 14 and the enclosure part 10 and the anvil 14 has similar curved projection 18 in place of the O-ring. It has been found that such engagement shapes are possible if at least one of the engaging surfaces is coated with a soft (e.g. noble) metal, because such metals serve to lubricate the wear surface and remove the need for the use of grease. As has been pointed out already for semiconductor wafer use, silver is particularly preferred and attention may be given to the diffusion rates of the coating metal into the material which is being processed.
If the metal coating is deposited by electro-plating, it is desirable to provide a nickel underlayer, but other methods of forming the coating may be used.
To improve the integrity of the coating, it may be desirable to coat the complete ring 13 or anvil 14 and it may, in some instances, be appropriate to coat both engaging surfaces, although current test show that a single coated surface is extremely effective.
The use of different shapes of engagement surfaces rather than line contacts may have broad applicability.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS3163431 *Jun 6, 1960Dec 29, 1964Tanner Charles LSeal ring meansUS4261584 *Nov 19, 1979Apr 14, 1981International Business Machines CorporationHermetic sealUS4477087 *Jul 20, 1983Oct 16, 1984Sutter Jr Leroy VSeal formed out of a hard metal with a plating of soft metalsUS5247800 *Jun 3, 1992Sep 28, 1993General Electric CompanyThermal connector with an embossed contact for a cryogenic apparatusUS5376213 *Jul 28, 1993Dec 27, 1994Tokyo Electron LimitedPlasma processing apparatusUS5380019 *Jul 1, 1992Jan 10, 1995Furon CompanySpring sealUS5459609 *Sep 1, 1993Oct 17, 1995Schrag; Grant M.Hermetically sealed optical mounting assemblyUS6027145 *Oct 4, 1995Feb 22, 2000Nippon Steel CorporationJoint for steel pipe having high galling resistance and surface treatment method thereofJPS57167568A * Title not availableWO1993008591A1 *Oct 22, 1992Apr 29, 1993Electrotech LtdProcessing system* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification277/650, 277/654, 277/942, 277/644International ClassificationF16J15/08Cooperative ClassificationY10S277/942, F16J15/0806European ClassificationF16J15/08BLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionApr 2, 2015ASAssignmentOwner name: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENTFree format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED;REEL/FRAME:035364/0295Effective date: 20150401Aug 11, 2014FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 12Sep 2, 2010SULPSurcharge for late paymentYear of fee payment: 7Sep 2, 2010FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8May 9, 2007ASAssignmentOwner name: UNITED COMMERCIAL BANK, CALIFORNIAFree format text: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNORS:AVIZA TECHNOLOGY, INC.;AVIZA, INC.;REEL/FRAME:019265/0381Effective date: 20070413Aug 11, 2006FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services