Fluid handling – Systems – With flow control means for branched passages
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-22
2003-09-09
Fox, John (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Systems
With flow control means for branched passages
C137S597000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615871
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fluid control apparatus for use in semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
With reference to
FIG. 8
, the fluid control apparatus included in semiconductor manufacturing equipment comprises main components, i.e., a plurality of (e.g., three shown) massflow controllers
3
and one or a plurality of on-off valves
111
,
112
disposed at the inlet side and outlet side of each massflow controller
3
. The apparatus further additionally includes filters
113
, check valves
114
, etc.
The line (first line)
115
including the massflow controller
3
at the left side has one filter
113
at the inlet side of the controller
3
and one on-off valve
111
at the outlet side thereof. The line has one inlet and one outlet, The line (second line)
116
including the second massflow controller
3
from the left has two on-off valves
112
and one check valve
114
which are in the form of a block and one filter
113
at the inlet side of the controller
3
, three on-off valves
111
at the outlet side thereof, and a bypass channel
118
provided between the inlet and outlet sides of the controller
3
and not extending through the controller
3
. The line (third line)
117
including the massflow controller
3
at the right has two on-off valves
112
and one check valve
114
which are in the form of a block and one filter
113
at the inlet side of the controller
3
, and two on-off valves
111
at the outlet side thereof. The lines
115
,
116
,
117
are connected to one another at the inlet side of the three controllers
3
, while the outlet of the first line
115
is connected to one outlet of the second line
116
.
As illustrated, tubes
119
are used for connecting the massflow controller
3
to the on-off valves
111
,
112
and connecting the on-off valves
111
to each other. Tubes
119
are connected to each other by L-shaped pipe joint
120
or T-shaped pipe joint
121
.
The fluid control apparatus shown in
FIG. 8
is only one example. While fluid control apparatus comprise various lines, the lines constituting such apparatus are limited generally to the five kinds shown in
FIG. 9
in view of the number and flow of fluids.
With reference to
FIG. 9
, a line
131
at the left end is adapted to pass one kind of fluid through a fluid controller
3
such as massflow controller. A line
132
, the second from the left, passes two kinds of fluids through a fluid controller
3
. The third from the left is a line
133
for passing two kinds of fluids through a fluid controller
3
, with an evacuating channel
133
a
connected to the outlet side of the controller
3
. The fourth from the left is a line
134
adapted to pass two kinds of fluids through a fluid controller
3
and including a bypass channel
134
a
provided between the inlet and the outlet of the controller
3
and not extending through the controller shown at the right end is a line
135
adapted to pass two kinds of fluids through a fluid controller
3
and including an evacuating channel
135
a
connected to the outlet side of the controller
3
and a bypass channel
135
b
provided between the inlet and the outlet of the controller
3
and not extending through the controller
3
.
It is required that fluid control apparatus for use in semiconductor manufacturing equipment be reduced in the space to be thereby occupied and in the volume of channels. For this reason, it is proposed to use joint members for connecting massflow controllers to on-off valves and for connecting on-off valves to one another without using tubes (integration).
The integration can be achieved by providing as blocks on-off valves constituting the five kinds of lines shown in FIG.
9
and connecting such valves in the form of blocks to one another without using any tube. An increase in the number of different kinds of parts, especially an increase in the number of kinds of on-off valves which are main components, is a great problem encountered in providing integrated and compacted lines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid control apparatus which is integrated and compacted without using an increased number of different kinds of on-off valves which are the main components of the apparatus.
The present invention provides a fluid control apparatus which is characterized in that the apparatus comprises a plurality of fluid controllers, and a plurality of on-off devices arranged respectively at an inlet side and an outlet side of each of the fluid controllers, each of the on-off devices comprising one valve or a plurality of valves, with the adjacent valves connected to each other without using tubing, each of the on-off devices being one of five kinds including a 2-type on-off device having a two-port valve, a 2-3-type on-off device having a two-port valve and a three-port valve, a 2-3-3-type on-off device having a two-port valve and two three-port valves, a 3-3-type on-off device having two three-port valves, and a 3-3-3-type on-off device having three three-port valves, main bodies of two-port valves of all types of on-off devices being identical in configuration and each having an inlet and an outlet in a bottom face thereof, main bodies of three-port valves of all types of on-off devices being identical in configuration and each formed in a bottom face thereof with an inlet, an outlet always in communication with the inlet, and an inlet-outlet subopening.
The terms upper and lower (bottom) as used herein refer respectively to the upper and lower sides of
FIGS. 3 and 4
. However, these terms are used for the sake of convenience, the fluid control apparatus may be mounted as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
on a horizontal surface, or turned upside down when installed on a horizontal surface or when attached to a vertical surface.
According to the invention, all the on-off devices are divided into five kinds, while the valve main bodies constituting such devices can be of only two kinds in configuration. Each valve main body has a normally open or closed actuator attached thereto. The valves are of four kinds when the different types of actuators are considered.
The foregoing construction provides various fluid control apparatus which include five kinds of on-off devices wherein the valve main bodies are of two kinds in configuration, as will be described below with reference to FIG.
2
.
In the case where two kinds of fluids are to be passed through a fluid controller
3
, 2-2-type on-off devices
92
,
92
are arranged respectively at the inlet side and outlet side of the controller
3
. The first of the fluids (e.g., main gas) flows into the controller
3
via three-port valve
102
, passes through the controller
3
and then reaches the next line (e.g. a process chamber) via three-port valve
102
. The second fluid (e.g., purge gas) flows through two-port valve
101
and three-port valve
102
into the controller
3
, from which the gas flows through the thee-port valve
102
and two-port valve
101
into the next line (e.g., a vent line).
In the case where two kinds of fluids are to be passed through a fluid controller
3
, with an evacuating line
98
a
provided at the outlet side of the controller
3
, a 2-3-type on-off device
92
is disposed at the inlet side of the controller
3
, and a 2-3-3-type on-off device
93
at the outlet side of the controller
3
. The first of the fluids (e.g., main gas) flows into the controller
3
via three-port valve
102
, passes through the controller
3
and then reaches the next line (e.g. the process chamber) via one of the three-port valves. The second fluid (e.g. purge gas) flows into the controller through two-port valve
101
and three-port valve
102
, passes through the controller
3
and thereafter reaches the next line via the two three-port valves
102
,
102
. The evacuating channel
98
a
is connected to the two-port valve
101
of the 2-3-3-type on-off device
93
.
In the case where two kinds of fluids are to be passed through a fluid controller
3
, with a bypass channel
99
a
bypassing
Hatano Masayuki
Hirao Keiji
Hirose Takashi
Ikeda Nobukazu
Kawano Yuji
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Fox John
Tadahiro Ohmi
LandOfFree
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