Patent Description:
On a lower part of a process chamber such as a semiconductor manufacturing device, for example, a gate valve and a vacuum pump device are provided in order to adjust a pressure in the chamber.

A vacuum pump device includes a lifting-type gate valve for lifting/lowering a valve body in a rotating shaft direction (See <CIT>, for example).

Japanese Patent Applications <CIT>, <CIT> are further prior art.

When a gate valve is in an open state, regardless of an opening degree of the gate valve, a gas in a chamber is preferably exhausted uniformly in a circumferential direction. Thus, it is preferable that a structural member which would inhibit a flow of the gas non-uniformly in the circumferential direction is not disposed but a supporting member that supports a valve body is disposed at a center part of the vacuum pump.

However, if such a supporting member is to be disposed at the center part of the vacuum pump, facility or a structure for sealing so that a gas does not leak from a gap between a rotor and the supporting member of a vacuum pump device is needed as in the above-described vacuum pump device and thus, the structure of the vacuum pump device becomes complicated.

The present invention was made in view of the above-described problem and has an object to obtain a vacuum pump device and a lifting-type gate valve capable of realizing uniform exhaustion with a relatively simple structure.

A vacuum pump device according to the present invention is provided according to claim <NUM>.

According to the present invention, a vacuum pump device and a lifting-type gate valve capable of realizing uniform exhaustion with a relatively simple structure can be obtained.

The above and the other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent from attached drawings and detailed description below.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described on the basis of drawings.

<FIG> is a sectional view illustrating a structure of a vacuum pump device according to an embodiment <NUM>. The vacuum pump device illustrated in <FIG> includes a vacuum pump portion <NUM> and a lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM>.

The vacuum pump portion <NUM> includes an inner stator <NUM> and an outer rotor <NUM>. The inner stator <NUM> includes a stator blade 11a, while the outer rotor <NUM> includes a rotor blade 12a. The stator blade 11a and the rotor blade 12a constitute a turbo-molecular pump portion <NUM>, and a thread-groove pump portion <NUM> is formed on a rear stage of the turbo-molecular pump portion <NUM>. It is to be noted that the thread-groove pump portion <NUM> does not have to be formed.

Moreover, a coil 11b is provided in the inner stator <NUM>, a coil 12b is provided in the outer rotor <NUM>, the coils 11b and 12b form a motor, and this motor rotates the outer rotor <NUM>. Furthermore, in either one of or both of the inner stator <NUM> and the outer rotor <NUM>, a bearing <NUM> and a sealing portion <NUM> are provided.

An inlet port <NUM> on an upper end of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> has a substantially annular shape and has a substantially uniform width in a circumferential direction. A gas molecule flowing through the inlet port <NUM> is exhausted by the vacuum pump portion <NUM> from an outlet port <NUM> on a lower part.

Furthermore, the inner stator <NUM> includes a through hole 11c along a rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> (that is, a rotating shaft of the outer rotor <NUM> and a center axis of the inner stator <NUM>). That is, the inner stator <NUM> is disposed at a center of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>, and the through hole 11c is formed at a center of the inner stator <NUM>.

On the other hand, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> includes a valve body <NUM> and a valve seat <NUM>, and the valve body <NUM> is lifted/lowered with respect to the valve seat <NUM> along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>. The valve seat <NUM> is capable of being connected to a chamber <NUM>.

And in the embodiment <NUM>, at least a part of a supporting member <NUM> which supports the valve body <NUM> is disposed in the through hole 11c.

Specifically, the columnar supporting member <NUM> is connected to substantially the center of the substantially disc-shaped valve body <NUM> and extends through the through hole 11c via an upper opening portion 11d in the center part of the inner stator <NUM>.

And a lifting device <NUM> is disposed in the through hole 11c, and the lifting device <NUM> lifts/lowers the supporting member <NUM>. For example, the supporting member <NUM> and the lifting device <NUM> are actuators such as shaft motors, and the lifting device <NUM> is electrically controlled and lifts/lowers the supporting member <NUM> by an electromagnetic force, whereby the valve body <NUM> is lifted/lowered.

Moreover, a bellows <NUM> capable of expansion/contraction in the rotating shaft direction is provided between the valve body <NUM> and the inner stator <NUM>, and the bellows <NUM> has a substantially cylindrical bellows shape and airtightly seals the upper opening portion 11d of the through hole 11c.

When the valve body <NUM> is lowered by the lifting device <NUM> and is brought into contact with the valve seat <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is brought into a closed state, while when the valve body <NUM> is lifted by the lifting device <NUM> and is separated from the valve seat <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is brought into an open state, and moreover, by adjusting a position of the valve body <NUM> by the lifting device <NUM>, an opening degree of the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is adjusted.

Moreover, an opening portion of the valve seat <NUM> has a shape conforming to a shape of the valve body <NUM>, and when the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the closed state, there is no gap any more between the valve body <NUM> and the valve seat <NUM>, while when the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the open state, a channel width between the valve body <NUM> and the valve seat <NUM> is substantially uniform in the circumferential direction. As a result, uniform exhaustion is realized.

Subsequently, an operation of the vacuum pump device according to the embodiment <NUM> will be described.

The vacuum pump device is connected to the chamber <NUM>, and a control device, not shown, controls the lifting device <NUM> so as to lift or lower the valve body <NUM> and adjusts the opening degree of the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM>. At this time, the bellows <NUM> is expanded/contracted in accordance with lifting/lowering of the valve body <NUM>.

When the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the open state, a periphery of the disc-shaped valve body <NUM> is open, and a gas channel which is uniform in the circumferential direction is formed up to the inlet port <NUM>, which is uniform in the circumferential direction.

As a result, uniform exhaustion is realized by the vacuum pump portion <NUM>.

For example, when a disc-shaped stage is disposed above the valve body <NUM>, and an object to be processed is placed on the stage, gas pressure distribution in the periphery is substantially uniform in the circumferential direction, and the gas which becomes unnecessary in the process in the chamber <NUM> is uniformly exhausted by the vacuum pump portion <NUM>.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment <NUM>, the vacuum pump portion <NUM> includes the outer rotor <NUM> and the inner stator <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> includes the valve body <NUM> and the valve seat <NUM>, and the valve body <NUM> is lifted/lowered with respect to the valve seat <NUM> along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>. And the inner stator <NUM> includes the through hole 11c along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>, and at least a part of the supporting member <NUM> which supports the valve body <NUM> is disposed in the through hole 11c.

As a result, since the supporting member <NUM> can be disposed at the center part of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> by forming the through hole 11c in the inner stator <NUM> which is not rotated, uniform exhaustion is realized with a relatively simple structure.

In a vacuum pump device according to an embodiment <NUM>, a structure of the turbo-molecular pump portion <NUM> of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> is different from that of the embodiment <NUM>.

<FIG> is a sectional view illustrating the structure of the vacuum pump device according to the embodiment <NUM> of the present invention. As illustrated in <FIG>, in the embodiment <NUM>, the inner stator <NUM> includes an intermediate cylinder 11e, the stator blade 11a and the rotor blade 12a are disposed both on an inner peripheral side and an outer peripheral side of the intermediate cylinder 11e, and a sealing portion as the sealing portion <NUM> in the embodiment <NUM> is not provided.

Since the other structures and operations of the vacuum pump device according to the embodiment <NUM> are similar to those of the embodiment <NUM>, explanation thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a sectional view illustrating a structure of the vacuum pump device not being part of the invention.

As illustrated in <FIG>, in the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> in the embodiment <NUM>, a valve seat <NUM> is substantially disc-shaped, a valve body <NUM> has a substantially cylindrical shape, a supporting member <NUM> which supports the valve seat <NUM> is connected to a substantial center of the valve seat <NUM>, and at least a part of the supporting member <NUM> is disposed in the through hole 11c of the inner stator <NUM>. The through hole 11c includes an upper opening portion <NUM>, the supporting member <NUM> penetrates the upper opening portion <NUM> of the through hole 11c, the supporting member <NUM> is not lifted/lowered but fixed, and a gap between a wall surface of the upper opening portion <NUM> and the supporting member <NUM> is fixedly and airtightly sealed.

Moreover, in this embodiment <NUM>, the valve seat <NUM> is used as a stage disposed in the chamber <NUM>.

And in the embodiment <NUM>, the valve body <NUM> is disposed on the outer side of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> and is lifted/lowered along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>.

Moreover, on an outer peripheral part of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>, an outer-peripheral accommodating portion <NUM> capable of accommodating the valve body <NUM> is provided, and a lifting device <NUM> which lifts/lowers the valve body <NUM> is provided in the outer-peripheral accommodating portion <NUM>.

The lifting device <NUM> is electrically controlled and is an actuator which lifts/lowers the valve body <NUM> by an electromagnetic force with a principle similar to that of a shaft motor, for example.

In this embodiment <NUM>, when the valve body <NUM> is lifted by the lifting device <NUM> and is brought into contact with the valve seat <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is brought into a closed state, while when the valve body <NUM> is lowered by the lifting device <NUM> and is separated from the valve seat <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is brought into an open state, and moreover, by adjusting a position of the valve body <NUM> by the lifting device <NUM>, an opening degree of the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is adjusted.

It is to be noted that, it may be constituted such that a contact surface between the valve seat <NUM> and the valve body <NUM> is tapered by providing a protrusion on a bottom surface of the valve seat <NUM>. Moreover, it may be also constituted such that the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is brought into the closed state by closing a channel by contact of the valve body <NUM> with a side surface of the valve seat <NUM>. In that case, too, the contact surface between the valve seat <NUM> and the valve body <NUM> may be tapered.

Moreover, an upper opening portion of the valve body <NUM> has a shape conforming to a shape of the valve seat <NUM> (in this embodiment, a shape of the bottom surface of the valve seat <NUM>, that is, a plane, here), and when the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the closed state, there is no gap any more between the valve seat <NUM> and the valve body <NUM>, while when the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the open state, a channel width between the valve seat <NUM> and the valve body <NUM> is substantially uniform in the circumferential direction.

As a result, uniform exhaustion is realized.

It is to be noted that the structure of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> in the embodiment <NUM> is similar to that of the embodiment <NUM>. Moreover, the structure of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> in the embodiment <NUM> may be similar to that of the embodiment <NUM>.

A control device, not shown, electrically controls the lifting device <NUM> so as to lift or lower the valve body <NUM> and adjusts the opening degree of the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM>.

When the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the open state, a periphery of the valve seat <NUM> which is a disc-shaped stage is open, and a gas channel which is uniform in the circumferential direction is formed up to the inlet port <NUM>, which is uniform in the circumferential direction. As a result, uniform exhaustion is realized by the vacuum pump portion <NUM>.

That is, gas pressure distribution in the periphery of the valve seat <NUM> as a stage becomes substantially uniform in the circumferential direction, and the gas which became unnecessary in a process in the chamber <NUM> is uniformly exhausted by the vacuum pump portion <NUM>.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment <NUM>, the vacuum pump portion <NUM> includes the outer rotor <NUM> and the inner stator <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> includes the valve body <NUM> and the valve seat <NUM>, and the valve body <NUM> is lifted/lowered with respect to the valve seat <NUM> along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>. And the inner stator <NUM> includes the through hole 11c along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>, and at least a part of the supporting member <NUM> which supports the valve seat <NUM> is disposed in the through hole 11c.

As a result, since the supporting member <NUM> can be disposed at a center part of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> by forming the through hole 11c in the inner stator <NUM> which is not rotated, uniform exhaustion is realized with a relatively simple structure.

<FIG> is a sectional view illustrating a structure of a vacuum pump device not being part of the invention.

In the embodiment <NUM>, the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> includes a valve body <NUM> having a substantially annular shape and also includes the valve seat <NUM> and the supporting member <NUM> similar to the embodiment <NUM>.

Moreover, on an outer peripheral part of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>, an outer-peripheral accommodating portion <NUM> capable of accommodating a supporting member <NUM> of the valve body <NUM> is provided, and a lifting device <NUM> which lifts/lowers the supporting member <NUM>, that is, the valve body <NUM>, is provided in the outer-peripheral accommodating portion <NUM>. The supporting member <NUM> and the lifting device <NUM> are shaft motors, for example, and the lifting device <NUM> is an actuator which is electrically controlled so as to lift/lower the supporting member <NUM> by an electromagnetic force.

In the embodiment <NUM>, the valve body <NUM> is disposed on an outer side of the vacuum pump portion <NUM> and is lifted/lowered along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion <NUM>, and when it is lifted, it is brought into contact with the valve seat <NUM> and an inner wall 3a of the chamber <NUM> and closes a gas channel. A contact surface between the valve seat <NUM> and the valve body <NUM> may be tapered. Similarly, it may be so constituted that a protrusion is provided on the inner wall 3a of the chamber <NUM>, and a contact surface between the inner wall 3a of the chamber <NUM> and the valve body <NUM> is tapered.

Moreover, when the valve body <NUM> is lowered, and the lifting-type gate valve portion <NUM> is in the open state, a channel width between the valve seat <NUM> and the valve body <NUM> is substantially uniform in the circumferential direction. As a result, uniform exhaustion is realized.

It is to be noted that the other structures and operations of the vacuum pump device according to the embodiment <NUM> are similar to those of the embodiment <NUM> and thus, explanation thereof will be omitted.

For example, the vacuum pump devices according to the above-described embodiments <NUM> to <NUM> are outer-rotor type vacuum pump devices, but inner-rotor type vacuum pump devices may be applicable.

Claim 1:
A vacuum pump device comprising:
a vacuum pump portion (<NUM>) including an inlet (<NUM>), a rotor (<NUM>) and a stator (<NUM>); and
a lifting-type gate valve portion (<NUM>) including a valve body (<NUM>) and a valve seat (<NUM>), in which the valve body (<NUM>) is lifted/lowered with respect to the valve seat (<NUM>) along a rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion (<NUM>), wherein
the stator (<NUM>) includes a through hole (11C) along the rotating shaft direction of the vacuum pump portion (<NUM>);
at least a part of a supporting member (<NUM>) which supports the valve body (<NUM>) is disposed in the through hole (11C),
characterized in that
a substantially cylindrical bellows (<NUM>) is provided between the valve body (<NUM>) and the stator (<NUM>), the bellows (<NUM>) airtightly sealing an upper opening portion (11d) of the through hole (11C), from the inlet (<NUM>).