JPH0115980Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a vacuum device. In particular, the present invention relates to improvements in doors of vacuum devices used in semiconductor device manufacturing methods and the like.

[Conventional technology]

Since the door of a vacuum device must have a sufficient sealing effect against a pressure difference of approximately 1 atmosphere, a sealing member such as an O-ring is used at the contact part of the door. The structure shown in is used. In the figure, 1 is the outer wall of the vacuum chamber, 2 is the door, 3 is an O-ring, 4 is the fulcrum of the door, and 5 is rotatable around 6 and has a spring 7. This is an auxiliary door that is elastically supported by the door 2.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

In the case of the structure shown in Fig. 2, if the adjustment of the fulcrum 4 of the door 2 is insufficient or if the adjustment is out of order, preload is applied to the O-ring at the beginning of the door closing process. and fulcrum 4
The O-ring is compressed and deformed only in the area close to the fulcrum 4, and at the end of the closing process, it is compressed and deformed significantly in the area far from the fulcrum 4, making it easy to compress and deform the O-ring uniformly over the entire surface. Moreover, there is a drawback that a large torque is required to compress and deform the O-ring.

The structure shown in FIG. 3 is an improved version of the structure shown in FIG. In this case, the movement of the auxiliary door 5 is inhibited due to frictional force, and the auxiliary door 5 does not completely contact the entire surface of the O-ring 3. Therefore, a spring 7 is provided, but it is necessary to balance the strength of this spring 7. The drawback is that it is not easy to adjust and adjustment is difficult.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks, and allows the door and O-ring to come into uniform contact with each other during the entire process of opening and closing the door, allowing the door to be opened and closed with a small amount of driving torque, resulting in a good sealing effect. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum device having a door that is easy to assemble and adjust, easy to replace O-rings, and low in production cost.
This vacuum device has a door whose end is fixed to the center of the door and whose other end is driven and supported via a leaf spring that serves as a rotational fulcrum.

[Function] The leaf spring is flexible and can be slightly deformed in various directions, so when it is used as a support opening/closing member for the door according to the present invention, a part of the door is covered by the O-ring. When you start making contact with the door area, the leaf spring will flex and the entire surface of the door will immediately open up.
This will make contact with the entire surface of the ring. Therefore,
The door and O-ring can maintain uniform contact throughout the entire process of opening and closing the door, achieving a good sealing effect. Furthermore, since the surface of the door and the surface of the O-ring can easily slip to some extent and provide wipe (additional compressive deformation), the driving torque is reduced. Since the present invention utilizes the flexibility of the leaf spring to bend freely, delicate adjustments are not necessary, and therefore assembly is easy and manufacturing costs are low.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, a vacuum apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings.

See Figures 1a and b Figure 1a is a conceptual configuration diagram, and Figure 1b is
It is a diagram seen from the direction of arrow A. 1 is the outer wall of the vacuum chamber and has an exhaust opening 9, 2 is a door that opens and closes in the direction of the arrow, 3 is an O-ring, and 4 is the fulcrum of the leaf spring 8 that drives and supports the door. . The two-dot chain line indicates the position of the door in the open state. Reference numerals 10 and 11 are conveyor belts for carrying in and out the materials to be processed and processed. 12 is a door opening/closing motor.

When the leaf spring 8 having such a configuration is rotated counterclockwise in the figure and a partial area of the door 2 comes into contact with any area of the O-ring 3, the leaf spring 8 is bent.
Immediately, the entire surface of the door 2 and the entire surface of the O-ring 3 come into contact, and uniform contact between the door 2 and the O-ring 3 is ensured during the process in which the O-ring 3 is compressed and deformed. Further, during the wipe period when the O-ring 3 is compressed and deformed, the leaf spring 8 is bent and the door 2 and the O-ring 3 easily slide, so a small driving torque is sufficient. Therefore, delicate adjustments are not required and assembly is easy.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, according to the present invention, the door and O-ring are in uniform contact with each other during the entire process of opening and closing the door, and the door can be opened and closed with a small amount of driving torque, resulting in a good sealing effect. Moreover, it is possible to provide a vacuum device having a door that is easy to assemble and adjust, easy to replace O-rings, and low in production cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1a is a conceptual diagram of a vacuum apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1b is a view of the vacuum apparatus shown in FIG. 1a, viewed from the direction of arrow A. 2 and 3 are conceptual configuration diagrams of a vacuum apparatus according to the prior art. 1... Outer wall of the vacuum chamber, 2... Door, 3... O-ring, 4... Door fulcrum, 5... Auxiliary door, 6... Fulcrum, 7... Spring, 8... Leaf spring, 9... ...Exhaust opening, 10, 11...Belt conveyor, 12
……motor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A vacuum device having a door, one end of which is fixed to the center of the door and the other end of which is driven and supported via a leaf spring that serves as a pivot point.