JP2008045640A - Gate valve device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce impact force on each opening of a first seal member and a second seal member, and to provide a constant pressing amount with respect to each opening of each seal member. <P>SOLUTION: When a motor rotary shaft 66A of a driving motor 66 is turned further in the normal direction from a 90 degrees position, only an eccentric shaft 17 is turned in a predetermined direction since engagement of a pin part 31A of an interlocking cam 31 and a groove part 29C of a Geneva cam 29 is released. When the eccentric shaft is turned only 180 degrees from a 90 degrees position (from a 0 degrees position to 270 degrees), an eccentric shaft part 17B of the eccentric shaft 17 is moved toward a first opening 46 side only for a distance (equivalent to a diameter size of the eccentric shaft part 17B) that is twice of an eccentric amount. By this, a valve element 52 is seated on the first opening 46, and the first opening 46 is blocked. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gate valve device used in a processing chamber that performs a predetermined process on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer.

  In general, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, various processes such as dry etching, sputtering, and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) are repeatedly performed on a semiconductor wafer. Many of the various types of processing described above are performed in a vacuum atmosphere, and a loading / unloading opening for loading / unloading a wafer into / from a processing chamber for performing this type of processing is sealed in a highly airtight state by a gate valve device during processing. The

  This type of gate valve device is formed with a carry-in opening having a width that is small enough to allow a wafer to pass through, for example, on the side wall of a processing chamber that can be evacuated, and is attached to the carry-in opening. At the time of the process, the process is performed in a state in which the carry-in opening is hermetically closed by a valve body having an O-ring or the like of the gate valve device.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the conventional gate valve device 100 includes a housing 102, a valve body 104 that can be driven inside the housing 102, and a valve body 104 after being driven to rotate. And a valve body driving unit 106 that presses against the valve seat. In addition, the housing 102 has a first opening 108 for communicating with an adjacent processing chamber (not shown) and a second seal for maintaining a first seal member 112 (described later) provided in the valve body 104. Openings 110 are respectively formed. The valve body 104 is rotationally driven by the valve body driving unit 106 and pressed against the valve seat, whereby the first opening 108 or the second opening 110 can be closed. The valve body 104 has a first seal member 112 for hermetically sealing the first opening 108 when the first opening 108 is closed, and a first seal member 112 when the second opening 110 is closed. A second seal member 114 for hermetically sealing the two openings 110 is provided.

In the gate valve device 100 configured as described above, the first seal member 112 is elastically deformed while the first opening 108 is closed by the valve body, and the second opening 110 is closed by the valve body 104. In this state, the second seal member is 114 elastically deformed. As described above, the first opening 108 or the second opening 110 can be hermetically sealed by elastically deforming the seal members 112 and 114.
JP 2006-170373 A

  By the way, in the gate valve device having the above-described configuration, the valve body driving unit has a complicated structure having both a rotation mechanism and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the valve body. There was a problem. Further, since the valve body is pressed against each opening by the thrust of the valve body driving section, the moving speed of the valve body is increased when the valve body is pressed against each opening, and the valve body is seated in each opening. When the impact force becomes large. As a result, each seal member is likely to be deteriorated and damaged, and there is a problem that particles are generated.

  Since the control or setting of the crushing allowance of the first seal member and the second seal member is controlled only by the thrust of the valve body drive unit, the crushing allowance of the first seal member and the second seal member is used. If the control or setting is controlled only by the thrust of the valve body drive unit, it is difficult to perform fine control, and the first seal member and the second seal member may be too crushed. As a result, there is a problem that stable sealing performance cannot be obtained, product life of the first sealing member and the second sealing member is reduced, and particles are easily generated.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has a simple structure, high reliability in the driving mechanism of the rotation mechanism and the lifting mechanism, and reduces the impact force on each opening of the first seal member and the second seal member. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a gate valve device that can make the pressing amount of each seal member against each opening constant and has high sealing performance.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a gate valve device that closes or opens a carry-in opening formed on a wall section that defines a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on the object to be processed, and through which the object to be processed passes. A first opening that communicates with the carry-in opening is formed on one side wall, and a second opening that communicates with an external space is formed on the other side wall, and the housing is provided inside the housing. A valve body that is seated in the first opening or the second opening and closes or opens the first opening or the second opening; and the valve body is rotated to turn the first opening or A valve body drive unit that moves the valve body to a position facing the second opening and moves the valve body in a radial direction so as to be seated on the first opening or the second opening, and the valve body When the valve body is seated on the first opening, the first opening is airtight. A first seal member that seals and a second seal member that hermetically seals the second opening when the valve body is seated in the second opening, A support portion provided in the housing for rotatably supporting the valve body, and a center provided at a predetermined distance from the rotation center and connected to the valve body so as to be rotatable. And an eccentric shaft having an eccentric shaft portion, wherein the eccentric shaft rotates independently of the support portion, so that the valve body moves radially outward and the first opening or It is seated in the second opening.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the gate valve device according to the first aspect, the eccentric shaft has a concentric shaft portion whose center is located at a position on the rotation center of the support portion, and the valve body. The drive part is attached to the concentric shaft part and rotates with the rotation of the eccentric shaft, and a first cam part formed with an engagement part and an engaged part engaged with the engagement part are formed. And when the first cam portion is rotated within a predetermined angle range, the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged and the first engaged portion is engaged. When the first cam portion rotates in conjunction with one cam portion and the first cam portion rotates in a range other than a predetermined angle range, the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion is released. And a second cam portion that stops moving.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, based on the state in which the valve body is in a position facing the second opening communicating with the external space, the eccentric shaft and the supporting portion rotate in a predetermined direction in conjunction with each other. By being moved, the valve body is moved to a position facing the first opening. Then, when the eccentric shaft is rotated independently of the support portion, the valve body is moved radially outward and is seated in the first opening. At this time, the first opening is closed while being hermetically sealed by the first seal member. On the other hand, when the eccentric shaft rotates in the reverse direction independently of the support portion, the valve body is moved radially inward and the first opening is opened.

  Further, when the eccentric shaft and the support portion are rotated in the opposite direction in conjunction with each other, the valve body is moved to a position facing the second opening. Then, when the eccentric shaft is rotated independently of the support portion, the valve body is moved radially outward and is seated in the second opening. At this time, the second opening is closed while being hermetically sealed by the second seal member. On the other hand, when the eccentric shaft rotates in the forward direction independently of the support portion, the valve body is moved radially inward and the second opening is opened.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the amount of movement of the valve body in the radially outward direction is based on the amount of eccentricity of the eccentric shaft portion of the eccentric shaft. For this reason, it is possible to easily control the amount of movement of the valve body to the outside in the radial direction to be a constant amount only by setting the eccentric amount of the eccentric shaft portion of the eccentric shaft to be a predetermined value. Thereby, with a simple structure, the pressing amount with respect to each opening part of each sealing member can be made constant, and also the impact force with respect to each opening part of each sealing member can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in product life of each seal member, and it is possible to prevent generation of particles caused by each seal member.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the first cam portion attached to the eccentric shaft rotates within a predetermined angle range, the engagement portion of the first cam portion and the second cam portion are covered. The engaging portion engages, and the second cam portion rotates in conjunction with the first cam portion. And the support part connected with the 2nd cam part also rotates. At this time, since the engaging portion of the first cam portion and the engaged portion of the second cam portion are engaged with each other, the eccentric shaft does not rotate independently with respect to the supporting portion. It rotates with the part. Thereby, a valve body can be moved to the position which opposes a 1st opening part or a 2nd opening part.

  Further, when the first cam portion rotates in a range other than the predetermined angle range, the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion is released, so that the driving force is transmitted to the second cam portion. The rotation of the second cam portion is not stopped. Thereby, an eccentric shaft rotates independently with respect to a support part. Since the eccentric shaft rotates independently with respect to the support portion, the valve body can be moved radially outward or radially inward, so that the first opening or the second opening is closed or opened. Can do. That is, with a simple configuration, a rotation mechanism that rotates the valve body and an elevating mechanism that moves the valve body in the radial direction can be realized, and a highly reliable drive mechanism can be provided.

  Next, a gate valve device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the side wall 36 that defines the processing chamber 12 is formed with an elongated loading opening 38 through which an object to be processed such as a wafer passes and is loaded and unloaded, and the side wall 40 that defines the transfer chamber 14. Also, an opening 42 is formed. The gate valve device 20 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 44 made of, for example, aluminum. An elongated first opening 46 communicating with the inside of the processing chamber 12 is formed on one side of the housing 44. O-rings 48 and 50 are respectively interposed at the joint surfaces of the housing 44 and the processing chamber 12 and the transfer chamber 14 so that airtightness can be maintained.

  Further, a part of the housing 44 is provided with a valve body 52 and a valve body drive mechanism (valve body drive unit) 11 for driving the valve body 52, and the valve body 52 is configured as described above. It can be seated in the opening 46 and hermetically sealed. Since the first opening 46 and the carry-in opening 38 are integrally communicated, the carry-in opening 38 is also opened and closed by opening and closing the first opening 46.

  Specifically, the valve body 52 includes a planar first seal surface 56 that closes or opens the first opening 46 and a planar shape that closes or opens a maintenance opening (second opening) 62 described later. The second seal surface 57 is formed. The first seal surface 56 is provided with a valve body seal portion (first seal member) 58 that hermetically seals the first opening portion 46 when the valve body 52 closes the first opening portion 46. A maintenance seal portion (second seal member) that seals the maintenance opening 62 when the valve body 52 closes the maintenance opening 62 is positioned outside the valve body seal portion 58. ) 60 is provided. In addition, it is preferable that the valve body seal part 58 and the maintenance seal part 60 are comprised with the O-ring.

  The first seal surface 56 of the valve body 52 is formed in substantially the same shape as the first opening 46, and the above-described valve body seal portion 58 is attached to the edge of the first seal surface 56. The second sealing surface 57 of the valve body 52 is formed in substantially the same shape as the maintenance opening 62. A maintenance seal 60 is attached to the edge of the second seal surface 57.

  Further, in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the valve body 52, the valve body drive mechanism 11 for rotating the valve body 52 with respect to the housing 44 or moving in the radial direction is attached.

  Here, the configuration of the valve body drive mechanism 11 that drives the valve body 52 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, support portions 13 are attached to both longitudinal ends of the valve body 52. The support portion 13 is formed in a hollow shape. The support portion 13 is supported by the bearing portion 15 of the housing 44 so as to be rotatable. Further, an eccentric shaft 17 is arranged inside the support portion 13 so as to be rotatable via a bearing portion (not shown). The eccentric shaft 17 includes a shaft main body portion 17A, an eccentric shaft portion 17B whose center is located at a predetermined distance from the center (axial center) of the shaft main body portion 17A, and the center (axial center of the shaft main body portion 17A). ) And a concentric shaft portion 17C whose center is located above. A roller 22 is disposed on the eccentric shaft portion 17B via a sliding bearing (not shown), and a support piece 19 extending in the radial direction via the roller 22 is attached to the outer periphery of the eccentric shaft portion 17B. Yes. That is, the support piece 19 is formed with an insertion portion 21 into which the eccentric shaft portion 17B is inserted, and the eccentric shaft portion 17B is rotatably connected. A radially outer end of the support piece 19 is connected to the valve body 52. In addition, the support piece 19 and the valve body 52 are connected by fixing tools, such as a screw and a screw.

  A first gear portion 25 is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the one end portion of the support portion 13. A second gear portion 27 that meshes with the first gear portion 25 is rotatably attached to the housing 44. That is, a rotation shaft is attached to the center of the second gear portion 27, and a Geneva cam (second cam portion) 29 is attached to the rotation shaft. The Geneva cam 29 has a configuration in which two cutout portions 29B (only one cutout portion 29B is shown) are formed in the disk-shaped member 29A. And the groove part (engaged part) 29C extended along the radial direction is formed. The end portion in the radial direction of the groove portion 29C is open, and a pin portion 31A of the interlocking cam 31 described later can be inserted into the groove portion 29C from the outside.

  An interlocking cam (first cam portion) 31 is attached to the concentric shaft portion 17 </ b> C of the eccentric shaft 17. A pin portion (engaging portion) 31 </ b> A is attached to the outer side of the interlocking cam 31 in the radial direction. The pin portion 31A projects in the axial direction of the concentric shaft portion 17C and can be inserted into the groove portion 29C of the Geneva cam 29.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a first drive gear 33 is attached to the concentric shaft portion 17 </ b> C of the eccentric shaft 17.

  Further, a drive motor 66 is attached to the housing 44. The drive motor 66 includes a motor rotation shaft 66A that rotates in the forward direction and the reverse direction. A second drive gear 34 is attached to the motor rotation shaft 66A. A belt 35 is provided so that the second drive gear 34 and the first drive gear 33 are interlocked.

  According to the valve drive mechanism, as shown in FIG. 3, when the drive motor 66 is driven and the motor rotation shaft 66A is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction, the second drive gear 34 rotates. When the second drive gear 34 rotates, the first drive gear 33 rotates via the belt 35. When the first drive gear 33 rotates, the eccentric shaft 17 rotates. At this time, the pin portion 31 </ b> A of the interlock cam 31 is inserted into the groove portion 29 </ b> C of the Geneva cam 29 and both are engaged, and the Geneva cam 29 rotates in conjunction with the interlock cam 31. When the geneva cam 29 is rotated, the second gear portion 27 is rotated. When the second gear portion 27 rotates, the first gear portion 25 meshing with the second gear portion 27 rotates. When the first gear portion 25 rotates, the support portion 13 rotates, so that the eccentric shaft 17 and the support portion 13 rotate together. On the other hand, when the pin portion 31A of the interlock cam 31 is not inserted into the groove 29C of the Geneva cam 29 and the engagement between both is released, only the interlock cam 31 rotates, so that the eccentric shaft 17 is supported. It rotates independently of the part 13. At this time, the Geneva cam 29 is restricted by the rotation restricting flange 24 fastened to the interlocking cam 31 so that the Geneva cam 29 does not turn any further when it is turned 90 degrees. The rotation restricting flange 24 has a disk-like shape in which a part of the notch is formed, and the Geneva cam 29 does not rotate due to the engagement of the disk part and the notch 29B of the Geneva cam. Therefore, the support part 13 also does not rotate.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an elongated maintenance opening 62 for replacing the valve body seal portion 58 is formed in the ceiling portion of the housing 44. Specifically, the maintenance opening 62 has the outer maintenance seal portion 60 seated in a state where only the inner valve body seal portion 58 is exposed when the valve body 52 is seated on the surrounding seating surface. The size is set such that the surface can be sealed in an airtight manner. In other words, the maintenance opening 62 is formed to be slightly wider than the first opening 46, and the maintenance opening 62 is hermetically sealed by the maintenance seal portion 60. On the other hand, the inner valve body seal portion 58 is exposed in the maintenance opening 62.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a maintenance opening / closing cover 68 is attached to the maintenance opening 62 from the outside via an O-ring 70 in an airtight manner. In this case, the maintenance opening / closing lid 68 is detachably attached by a plurality of bolts 72. For example, if a transparent plate made of an acrylic resin plate or the like is used as the maintenance opening / closing lid 68, the degree of deterioration of the valve body seal portion 58 can be visually recognized from the outside without removing the maintenance opening / closing lid 68. it can. In this case, you may make it provide the transparent window part which can visually recognize an inside in a part of opening / closing lid | cover 68 for maintenance.

Further, when the valve body 52 is seated and closed in the maintenance opening 62, the air gap is returned to return to atmospheric pressure in the space 74 formed between the maintenance opening / closing lid 68 and the seated valve body 52. An air supply system 76 is provided. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the air gap supply system 76 is provided with a flow path 78 that connects the air gap 74 and the outside on a partition wall that partitions the maintenance opening 62. An on-off valve 80 is provided to supply N ₂ gas, clean air or the like as necessary.

  Further, a gap evacuation system 82 for evacuating the gap 74 is provided. This gap evacuation system 82 is provided with a flow path 84 that communicates the gap 74 and the external space on the partition wall that defines the maintenance opening 62, and an open / close valve 86 is provided in the flow path 84. Accordingly, the atmosphere in the gap 74 can be evacuated.

  Next, the operation of the gate valve device 20 of this embodiment will be described. The operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to a state (OPEN state) where the valve body 52 is in a position facing the maintenance opening 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, when the valve body 52 is in a position facing the maintenance opening 62 (OPEN state), the inside of the housing 44 and the inside of the processing chamber 12 are connected via the first opening 46. Are in a state of communication. In this OPEN state, the pin portion 31A of the interlocking cam 31 is at the position of the highest point (0 degree position), and the groove portion 29C of the Geneva cam 29 is at the position opened by -90 degrees (270 degree position) from the highest point. The opening part of the groove part 29C is located in the vicinity of the pin part 31A. In the OPEN state, the eccentric shaft portion 17B of the eccentric shaft 17 is located on the opposite side to the maintenance opening 62 side with respect to the rotation center.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the motor rotation shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is rotated in the forward direction, the drive force of the drive motor 66 is eccentric shaft through the drive gears 33 and 34 and the belt 35. 17 is transmitted. When the driving force of the drive motor 66 is transmitted to the eccentric shaft 17, the eccentric shaft 17 rotates in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). At this time, the pin portion 31 </ b> A of the interlock cam 31 is inserted into the groove portion 29 </ b> C of the Geneva cam 29 and both are engaged. Therefore, the Geneva cam 29 rotates in a predetermined direction (in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 3) in conjunction with the interlock cam 31. When the geneva cam 29 is rotated, the second gear portion 27 is rotated. When the second gear portion 27 rotates, the first gear portion 25 meshing with the second gear portion 27 rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the eccentric shaft 17. When the first gear portion 25 rotates, the support portion 13 rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the eccentric shaft 17 (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3), so that the eccentric shaft 17 interlocks with the support portion 13 in the same direction. It will rotate 90 degrees in the direction of arrow A in FIG. By driving the drive motor 66, the valve body 52 moves to the 90 degree position shown in FIG. 6 through the 45 degree position shown in FIG. In the 90-degree position shown in FIG. 6, the valve body 52 is in a position facing the first opening 46. Here, at the 90-degree position shown in FIG. 6 (a state immediately before sealing), the engagement between the pin portion 31A of the interlock cam 31 and the groove portion 29C of the geneva cam 29 is released.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the motor rotation shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is further rotated in the forward direction from the 90 degree position shown in FIG. 6, the engagement between the pin portion 31A of the interlocking cam 31 and the groove portion 29C of the Geneva cam 29. Since the engagement is released, only the eccentric shaft 17 rotates in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3). Furthermore, since the Geneva cam 29 is restricted by the rotation restricting flange 24 so that it does not rotate any further when it is rotated 90 degrees, the Geneva cam 29 does not move. Therefore, the support part 13 does not rotate at this time. When the eccentric shaft 17 is rotated by 180 degrees from the 90-degree position shown in FIG. 6 (270 degrees from the 0-degree position), the eccentric shaft portion 17B of the eccentric shaft 17 has a distance twice the eccentric amount (the eccentric shaft portion). 17B) (moving to the first opening 46 side). As a result, the valve body 52 is seated on the first opening 46, and the first opening 46 is closed (closed state). At this time, the valve body seal portion 58 is elastically deformed by the pressing force of the valve body 52.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the position where the motor rotation shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is further slightly rotated in the positive direction from the position of 270 degrees shown in FIG. 7 is set so as not to rotate further. . Thereby, the eccentric shaft 17 exceeds the top dead center and further rotates about 1 to 5 degrees. Since the eccentric shaft 17 exceeds the top dead center, even if pressure or the like is applied to the valve body 52 in the direction of releasing the seal or the driving force of the driving motor 66 disappears, the eccentric shaft 17 is reversed. It is difficult to release the airtightness of the valve body seal portion 58 after rotating and exceeding the top dead center. That is, the lock function works and a stable valve body pressing force can be maintained.

  On the other hand, when opening the 1st opening part 46, the motor rotating shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the eccentric shaft 17 is rotated in the reverse direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 3). When the eccentric shaft 17 is rotated in the reverse direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3), the eccentric shaft 17 eventually returns to the 90 ° position shown in FIG. 6, and the valve body 52 is separated from the first opening 46. When the eccentric shaft 17 returns to the 90-degree position shown in FIG. 6, the pin portion 31 </ b> A of the interlocking cam 31 is inserted into the groove portion 29 </ b> C of the geneva cam 29 and both are engaged.

  When the motor rotation shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is further rotated in the reverse direction from the 90-degree position shown in FIG. 6, the eccentric shaft 17 is rotated. At this time, the pin portion 31A of the interlocking cam 31 is moved to the Geneva cam. Since the both are engaged and engaged with each other, the Geneva cam 29 rotates in a predetermined direction (direction of arrow D in FIG. 3) in conjunction with the interlock cam 31. When the geneva cam 29 is rotated, the second gear portion 27 is rotated. When the second gear portion 27 rotates, the first gear portion 25 meshing with the second gear portion 27 rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the eccentric shaft 17. When the first gear portion 25 is rotated, the support portion 13 is rotated in the same direction as the rotation direction of the eccentric shaft 17, so that the eccentric shaft 17 and the support portion 13 are linked in the same direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3). Will be rotated. By driving the drive motor 66, the valve body 52 moves to the 0 degree position shown in FIG. 4 through the 45 degree position shown in FIG.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 9, when the maintenance opening 62 is closed by the valve body 52, the maintenance handle 38 shown in FIG. 2 is operated, the maintenance pin 37 is released, and the 0 degree shown in FIG. The motor rotation shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is rotated in the reverse direction from the position. When the motor rotation shaft 66A of the drive motor 66 is rotated in the reverse direction, when the eccentric shaft 17 rotates 180 degrees in the reverse direction, the engagement between the pin portion 31A of the interlock cam 31 and the groove portion 29C of the geneva cam 29 is released. Therefore, only the eccentric shaft 17 rotates in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3). At this time, the support portion 13 does not rotate. When the eccentric shaft 17 is rotated by 180 degrees from the 0 degree position shown in FIG. 4 (-180 degrees from the 0 degree position), the eccentric shaft portion 17B of the eccentric shaft 17 has an eccentric amount × double the distance (the eccentric shaft Only the diameter of the portion 17B) is moved to the maintenance opening 62 side. As a result, the valve body 52 is seated on the maintenance opening 62 and the maintenance opening 62 is closed. At this time, in a state where the valve body 52 is seated on the maintenance opening 62, the maintenance seal portion 60 is elastically deformed by the pressing force of the valve body 52, and the maintenance opening 62 is hermetically sealed (maintenance state). .

  As described above, according to the gate valve device 20 of the present embodiment, the amount of movement of the valve body 52 outward in the radial direction is based on the amount of eccentricity of the eccentric shaft portion 17B of the eccentric shaft 17. For this reason, simply setting the eccentric amount of the eccentric shaft portion 17B of the eccentric shaft 17 to be a predetermined value, it is possible to easily control the amount of movement of the valve body 52 radially outward to be a constant amount. it can. Accordingly, the pressing amount of the seal members 58 and 60 against the openings 46 and 62 can be made constant with a simple configuration, and the impact force of the seal members 58 and 60 against the openings 46 and 62 can be made constant. Can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in product life of each seal member 58, 60, and it is possible to prevent generation of particles caused by each seal member 58, 60. Furthermore, according to the gate valve device 20 of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a rotation mechanism that rotates the valve body 52 and an elevating mechanism that moves the valve body 52 in the radial direction with a simple configuration. High drive mechanism can be provided.

Next, a modification of the gate valve device 20 of the above embodiment will be described.
In addition, about the structure and drive mechanism similar to the gate valve apparatus 20 of the said embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the shape of the valve body 53 of the gate valve device 20 may be configured to have a curved cross section. By making the cross-sectional shape of the valve body 53 curved, the radius of a circle drawn by the rotation trajectory of the valve body 53 is reduced, and the amount of movement of the valve body 53 outward in the radial direction can be reduced. That is, the eccentric amount of the eccentric shaft portion 17B of the eccentric shaft 17 can be suppressed to a slight amount, which contributes to the miniaturization of the valve body drive mechanism 11.

  A bellows 55 is attached to the support portion 13 that supports the valve body 53 so as to surround the support piece 19. By providing the bellows 55, high clean performance is achieved without releasing particles generated from the inside of the support portion 13 into the housing.

It is an expanded sectional view showing the attachment state of the gate valve device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the elements on larger scale which show the principal part of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the internal block diagram which looked at the principal part of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention from the side surface side. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has the valve body of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in a 0 degree position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has the valve body of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the 45 degree position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the valve body of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention exists in a 90-degree position. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has the valve body of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the position at the time of CLOSE. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has the valve body of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the position at the time of a lock | rock. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which has the valve body of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the position at the time of a maintenance. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the modification of the gate valve apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and shows the state which has a valve body in a 0 degree position. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional gate valve device. It is a perspective view from the back which shows the attachment state of the valve body and valve drive mechanism of the gate valve apparatus of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

11 Valve body drive mechanism (valve body drive part)
12 Processing chamber 13 Support portion 17 Eccentric shaft 17B Eccentric shaft portion 17C Concentric shaft portion 20 Gate valve device 29 Geneva cam (second cam portion)
29C Groove (engaged part)
31 Interlocking cam (first cam part)
31A Pin part (engagement part)
38 Carry-in opening 44 Housing 46 First opening 52 Valve body 53 Valve body 56 First seal surface 57 Second seal surface 58 Valve body seal part (first seal member)
60 Maintenance seal part (second seal member)
62 Maintenance opening (second opening)

Claims (2)

A gate valve device that is formed in a wall section that defines a processing chamber that performs a predetermined process on a target object, and that closes or opens a loading opening through which the target object passes,
A first opening that communicates with the carry-in opening is formed on one side wall, and a second opening that communicates with an external space is formed on the other side wall, and the housing is provided inside the housing. A valve body that is seated in the first opening or the second opening and closes or opens the first opening or the second opening; and the valve body is rotated to turn the first opening or A valve body drive unit that moves the valve body to a position facing the second opening and moves the valve body in a radial direction to be seated on the first opening or the second opening,
The valve body includes a first seal member that hermetically seals the first opening when the valve body is seated in the first opening; and the valve body when the valve body is seated in the second opening. A second seal member that hermetically seals the second opening, and
The valve body drive unit is provided in the housing and supports the valve body so as to be rotatable. The valve body drive unit is provided so as to be rotatable and is connected to the valve body. An eccentric shaft having an eccentric shaft portion whose center is located at a site separated by a distance, and
A gate valve characterized in that the eccentric shaft rotates independently of the support portion, so that the valve body moves radially outward and is seated in the first opening or the second opening. apparatus. The eccentric shaft has a concentric shaft portion whose center is located at a position on the rotation center of the support portion,
The valve body drive unit is
A first cam portion attached to the concentric shaft portion and rotated with the rotation of the eccentric shaft, and an engagement portion is formed;
An engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion is formed, is connected to the support portion and is rotated together with the support portion, and the engagement when the first cam portion rotates within a predetermined angle range. When the mating portion and the engaged portion are engaged and rotated in conjunction with the first cam portion, and the first cam portion rotates in a range other than a predetermined angle range, the engaging portion And a second cam portion in which the engagement with the engaged portion is released and rotation stops,
The gate valve device according to claim 1, further comprising:

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