Patent Application
20200248310
The present invention relates to a valve device and a fluid control system in which fluid devices including this valve device are integrated.
In various manufacturing processes such as a semiconductor manufacturing process, a fluid control system called an integrated gas system in which various fluid devices, such as a switch valve, a regulator, and a mass flow controller, are integrated and housed in a box is used to supply an accurately measured process gas to a process chamber. This box with the integrated gas system housed therein is called a gas box.
In such an integrated gas system as described above, integration is achieved by arranging, in place of a pipe joint, a joint block that forms a flow path in a longitudinal direction of a base plate, and installing various fluid devices on this joint block (refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H10-227368
To control the supply of a process gas of various manufacturing processes, higher responsiveness is required. To this end, the fluid control system needs to be miniaturized and integrated to the extent possible to install the system closer to the process chamber that is the supply destination of the fluid.
Along with the increase in size of materials to be processed, such as the increase in size of the diameter of the semiconductor wafer, it becomes necessary to also increase a supply flow rate of the fluid supplied from the fluid control system into the process chamber.
To advance miniaturization and integration of the fluid control system, it is necessary to not only advance the miniaturization of the fluid devices, but also reduce the dimensions of a joint block on which the miniaturized fluid devices are installed.
In addition, formation of a flow path that opens at two locations in the joint block is difficult. In the related art, for example, a flow path extending in a longitudinal direction of the joint block is formed by machining a hole closed on one end side and opened on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the joint block, and fixing a closing member to an opening of this hole by welding to close the opening.
However, this method results in problems such as a flow path surface being burned by the welding, and welding residue remaining in the flow path. When the joint block is miniaturized, difficulties arise in polishing and cleaning the flow path after machining.
Patent Document 3 discloses a closing technique in which a closing member is provided at an opening of a flow path end and fixed by swaging without the use of welding. In this method, however, when dimensions of the joint block are reduced, a relatively large force is applied to the swaging part, resulting in the possibility that the joint block itself is deformed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a joint block that can be manufactured while achieving a miniaturization without the use of welding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a joint block for manufacturing a miniaturized joint block without the use of welding.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid control system that includes the joint block described above and is miniaturized and integrated.
A joint block of the present invention is a joint block provided with a first opening, a second opening, and a flow path connecting the first opening and the second opening, and comprises:
a block body that defines a first flow path extending in a longitudinal direction and closed on one end side and opened on the other end side in the longitudinal direction, a second flow path connected with the first flow path on one end side in the longitudinal direction and communicating with the first opening, and a third flow path connected with the first flow path on the other end side in the longitudinal direction and communicating with the second opening;
a closing member mounted in a recessed part formed on the other end side of the block body in the longitudinal direction;
a seal mechanism that includes an annular projection formed on one of opposing surfaces of the block body and the closing member opposing one another, and seals an area between the block body and the closing member by the annular projection biting into the other opposing surfaces around an opening of the first flow path;
a swaging part that is formed on the block body and presses the closing member toward the opposing surface of the block body; and
an engaging part formed by an inner peripheral part of the recessed part and an outer peripheral part of the closing member that engages with the inner peripheral part.
A pressing force that presses the annular projection of the seal mechanism against the other opposing surface is shared by the swaging part and the engaging part.
A manufacturing method of a joint block of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a joint block including a first opening, a second opening, and a flow path connecting the first opening and the second opening, and comprises the steps of:
preparing a block body that defines a first flow path extending in a longitudinal direction and closed on one end side and opened on the other end side in the longitudinal direction, a second flow path connected with the first flow path on one end side in the longitudinal direction and communicating with the first opening, and a third flow path connected with the first flow path on the other end side in the longitudinal direction and communicating with the second opening, and a closing member;
positioning the closing member in a recessed part formed on the other end side of the block body in the longitudinal direction;
press-fitting the closing member into the recessed part to form an engaging part in which an inner peripheral part of the recessed part engages with an outer peripheral part of the closing member;
deforming a swaging part formed on the block body to press the closing member toward an opposing surface of the block body; and
causing an annular projection formed on one of opposing surfaces of the block body and the closing member opposing one another to bite into the other opposing surfaces around an opening of the first flow path to seal an area therebetween.
A fluid control system of the present invention comprises a flow path between fluid devices connected using the joint block having the above-described configuration.
A semiconductor manufacturing method of the present invention comprises a step of using the fluid control system having the above-described configuration to control a process gas in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device that requires a treatment process by the process gas in a sealed chamber.
A semiconductor manufacturing system of the present invention comprises the fluid control system having the above-described configuration to control a process gas in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device that requires a treatment process by the process gas in a sealed chamber.
According to the present invention, since a force required for a seal mechanism is shared by a swaging part and an engaging part to achieve stress dispersion, it is possible to manufacture a miniaturized joint block without the use of welding while preventing deformation of a block body caused by excessive mechanical force.
Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.
First, an example of a fluid control system in which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to
The fluid control system illustrated in
Here, “fluid device” is a device used in a fluid control system for controlling a flow of a fluid, and includes a body defining a flow path, and at least two flow path ports that open at a surface of this body. Specifically, the fluid device includes a switch valve (two-way valve) 110A, a regulator 110B, a pressure gauge 110C, a switch valve (three-way valve) 110D, a mass flow controller 110E, and the like, but is not necessarily limited thereto. It should be noted that an introducing pipe 310 is connected to each of the flow path ports on the upstream side of the flow path (not illustrated) described above.
The joint block 200 includes a block body 10 made of a metal such as a stainless alloy and a closing member 50 made of a metal such as a stainless alloy. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the metal constituting the block body 10 is a metal harder (for example, about 4 times) than the metal constituting the closing member 50. Further, in the following drawings, arrows A1, A2 indicate longitudinal directions of the block body 10, A1 being a side (hereinafter, referred to as one end side) on which the closing member 50 is not mounted, and A2 being a side (hereinafter, referred to as the other end side) on which the closing member 50 is mounted.
The block body 10 includes a top surface 10a and a bottom surface 10b, which are planes opposing each other, side surfaces 10e1, 10e2 each orthogonal to the top surface 10a, and end surfaces 10c, 10d orthogonal to these surfaces and disposed on both end portions in the longitudinal directions A1, A2. It should be noted that, while an example is given in which the block body 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, another shape may be adopted.
An engaging part 10t formed so as to protrude to the bottom surface 10b side has a shape that fits together with a guide part (not illustrated) of the rail member 500, and is insertable from both end portions of the rail member 500 in the longitudinal directions G1, G2. Accordingly, the block body 10 is restrained on the rail member 500.
A flow path 12 defined by the block body 10 includes a first flow path 12c extending in the longitudinal directions A1, A2 and closed on the one end side A1 and opened on the other end side A2 in the longitudinal directions A1, A2, a second flow path 12a connected with the first flow path 12c on the one end side A1 in the longitudinal directions A1, A2 and communicating with a first opening 12d, and a third flow path 12b connected with the first flow path 12c on the other end side A2 in the longitudinal directions A1, A2 and communicating with a second opening 12e.
It should be noted that, while the second flow path 12a and the third flow path 12b are formed vertically to the top surface 10a and the first flow path 12c is formed parallelly with the top surface 10a, the arrangement is not necessarily limited thereto and the paths may be neither vertical nor horizontal.
The second flow path 12a and the third flow path 12b may be formed by machining, for example, by drilling a hole from the top surface 10a of the block body 10 in the vertical direction to form a blind hole. The first flow path 12c may be configured by drilling a hole with from the end surface 10d of the block body 10 in the vertical direction to form a blind hole. At this time, the first flow path 12c is formed at a height connected with tip end portions of the second flow path 12a and the third flow path 12b. When the hole for forming the first flow path 12c is opened from the end surface 10d of the block body 10, an opening of the first flow path 12c is formed on “the other end side” A2 of the block body 10. As described later, the opening of this first flow path 12c is closed by the closing member 50, and a U-shaped flow path configured by the second flow path 12a, the third flow path 12b, and the first flow path 12c is formed. It should be noted that a structure around the opening of the first flow path 12c is described later.
Holding recessed parts 14a, 14b for respectively holding gaskets are formed around the openings 12d, 12e that open on the top surface 10a side of the block body 10. A projection (not illustrated) having a circular shape and subjected to a hardening treatment to achieve a hardness sufficiently higher than that of the gasket in order to crush the gasket, may be formed on an outer periphery of each of the openings 12d, 12e on the bottom surfaces of the holding recessed parts 14a, 14b.
Two screw holes 18a, 18b that open at the top surface 10a and extend toward the bottom surface 10b side in the longitudinal directions A1, A2 are formed in the block body 10. The screw holes 18a, 18b are positioned between the two openings 12d, 12e that open at the top surface 10a. The screw holes 18a, 18b are, for example, size M5, include at least three threads, and have a depth of about 3 mm, but are not necessarily limited thereto. Dimensional specifications of the block body 10 are, for example, a width of about 10 mm, a length of about 30 mm, a diameter of the flow path 12 of about 2.6 mm, and a height of about 13 mm not including the engaging part 10t, but are not necessarily limited thereto. The screw holes 18a, 18b are used to couple the bodies of different fluid devices to the joint block 200. The widths of the block body 10 and the rail member 500 are approximately 10 mm, substantially matching.
As illustrated in
The closing member 50 is a metal member having a disk shape, and includes a projection 51 formed at a substantially central position of a peripheral surface 50a in a width direction, across a whole circumference thereof. The closing member 50 is formed with front-back symmetry, and either end surface 50e can also be used as an opposing surface opposing the opposing surface 15b of the block body 10 described above.
Next, assembly processes of a joint block 200 that uses the block body 10 and the closing member 50 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to
First, as illustrated in
As understood from
Next, as illustrated in
Then, the closing member 50 is press-fitted into the recessed part 15 by the force of a load F1 in
As understood from
Further, the end surface 50e on a lower side serving as the opposing surface of the closing member 50 is pressed toward the circular projection 13 formed around the opening 12p and, as illustrated in the drawing, a seal mechanism is configured in which the circular projection 13 bites into the end surface 50e on the lower side, sealing the area between the block body 10 and the closing member 50.
Then, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As understood from the drawing, the pressing force that presses the end surface 50e serving as the opposing surface of the closing member 50 to the circular projection 13 is shared by the plurality of protruding pieces 16 deformed as swaging parts and the engaging part EN. That is, with the force that holds the sealing force of the seal mechanism shared by the swaging parts and the engaging part EN, the load F1 of the jig 600 and the load F2 of the jig 700 can be relatively reduced, making it possible to avoid application of an excessive load onto the block body 10.
A protruding piece 16A illustrated in
A protruding piece 16B illustrated in
A protruding piece 16C illustrated in
A block body 10D includes, instead of the protruding parts 16 extending outwardly of the recessed part 15, a plurality of protruding parts 16D to be crushed by being pressed during swaging.
First, as illustrated in
Then, when the closing member 50 is press-fitted into the recessed part 15 by the force of a load F while the pressing surface 710 of the jig 700 is brought into contact with the end surface 50e on the upper side of the closing member 50, the circular projection 13 bites into the end surface 50e on the lower side of the closing member 50 and the projection 51 of the closing member 50 is crushed and plastically deformed by the inner peripheral surface 15a of the recessed part 15.
When the jig 700 is further lowered, the plurality of protruding parts 16D of the block body 10D are also crushed, and the crushed protruding parts 16D is plastically deformed so as to fill an area between the inner peripheral surface 15a of the recessed part 15 and the peripheral surface 50a of the closing member 50 while deforming the peripheral surface 50a of the closing member 50. As a result, as illustrated in
Next,
In
As illustrated in
A block body 10F illustrated in
Assembly can be performed using the same assembling methods (two types of methods) as those in the second embodiment.
As illustrated in
A closing member 50A has a disk shape, and includes the peripheral surface 50a formed flat.
A block body 10G includes a projecting section 15t formed on the inner peripheral surface 15a of the recessed part 15.
When the same assembling methods (two types of methods) as those in the second embodiment are adopted, the closing member 50A is press-fitted into the recessed part 15, and the protruding part 16D is caulked, a seal mechanism is configured and the engaging part EN is formed by the projecting section 15t biting into the peripheral surface 50a of the closing member 50A, as illustrated in
In a closing member 50B illustrated in
As illustrated in
A closing member 50C illustrated in
In a block body 10J illustrated in
As illustrated in
Then, as illustrated in
Subsequently, the projections 16F are caulked, thereby forming the seal mechanism, the engaging part EN, and the swaging part 16F, as illustrated in
A closing member 50D illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A closing member 50E includes a plurality of projecting sections 50c extending in the circumferential direction and arranged at equal intervals on the peripheral surface 50a.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Next, application examples of the fluid control system illustrated in
A semiconductor manufacturing system 1000 illustrated in
In the semiconductor manufacturing process based on the ALD method, the flow rate of the process gas needs to be precisely adjusted and a certain amount of flow rate needs to be secured to address an increase in the size of a diameter of the substrate.
The gas box 901 incorporates the fluid control system described above in which various fluid devices, such as a switch valve, a regulator, and a mass flow controller, are integrated and housed in a box to supply an accurately measured process gas to the processing chamber 905.
The tank 902 functions as a buffer for temporarily storing the process gas supplied from the gas box 901.
The switch valve 903 controls the flow rate of the gas measured in the gas box 901.
The control unit 904 controls the switch valve 903 to execute flow control.
The processing chamber 905 provides a sealed treatment space for forming a film on the substrate by the ALD method.
The exhaust pump 906 draws a vacuum inside the processing chamber 903.
While a case in which the fluid control system is used in a semiconductor manufacturing process based on the ALD method is illustrated in the above-described application example, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and can be applied to various targets that require precise flow adjustment, such as an atomic layer etching (ALE) method, for example.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-166621 | Aug 2017 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2018/030501 | 8/17/2018 | WO | 00 |
