The present invention relates to a turbo-molecular pump provided with a turbine blade section and a screw groove pump section.
Conventionally, in a dry etching process, a CVD process, or the like in semiconductor manufacturing processes, processing is performed while supplying a large amount of gas in order to perform the processes at high speed. Generally, a turbo-molecular pump that is provided with a turbine blade section and a screw groove pump section is used for evacuating a process chamber in a dry etching process, a CVD process, or the like. When a large amount of gas is discharged in a turbo-molecular pump, frictional heat generated in moving blades (rotor blades) is transmitted from the moving blades to stator blades (stationary blades), spacers, and a base in this order, and then released into cooling water in a cooling pipe disposed on the base.
However, when a larger amount of gas is discharged, the temperature of a rotor that includes the moving blades may disadvantageously exceed an allowable temperature. When the temperature of the rotor exceeds the allowable temperature, the speed of expansion by creep becomes higher. As a result, the rotor may disadvantageously come into contact with a stator within a shorter period than a designed life.
Further, in this kind of semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a reaction product is generated in etching or CVD, and the reaction product is likely to be accumulated on a screw stator of the screw groove pump section. A gap between the screw stator and the rotor is extremely small. Thus, when the reaction product is accumulated on the screw stator, the screw stator and the rotor may be stuck to each other. As a result, the rotor may not be able to start rotating.
Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a turbo-molecular pump is provided with a first cooling water passage which cools rotor blades and a device for regulating the temperature of a screw stator (a heater and a second cooling water passage). The first cooling water passage is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of a pump case, and cools the pump case to thereby cool stationary blades housed inside the pump case. In this manner, providing the first cooling water passage and the temperature regulation device lowers the temperature of the rotor and prevents the accumulation of a reaction product on the screw stator.
Patent Document 1: JP 3930297 B1
However, along with an increase in the size of a wafer to be processed, the flow rate of gas that should be discharged by the turbo-molecular pump increases, and the amount of heat generated along with the discharge of gas also increases. Therefore, a method for cooling the pump case as described in Patent Document 1 does not have sufficient cooling capacity to cool the stationary blades. Further, the temperature of the base to which the pump case is fixed becomes high by temperature regulation. Thus, heat flowing into the pump case from the base is a factor that inhibits cooling of the stationary blades.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, a turbo-molecular pump comprises: a rotor having a plurality of stages of rotor blades and a cylindrical section; a plurality of stages of stationary blades alternately arranged with respect to the plurality of stages of rotor blades; a stator arranged with a gap from the cylindrical section; a plurality of spacers stacked on a base to which the stator is fixed, and positioning the plurality of stages of stationary blades; a heater disposed on the base; a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the stator; and a temperature regulation section for on/off controlling the heater based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor to regulate the temperature of the stator so as to be a reaction product accumulation prevention temperature. At least one spacer arranged on abase side of the plurality of spacers is cooled by coolant, and the turbo-molecular pump further comprises a heat insulation member disposed between the base and the spacer arranged on the base.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, preferably the spacer cooled by the coolant includes a spacer section stacked together with the other spacers and a cooling section having a first coolant flow passage through which coolant flows, and a coolant supply section and a coolant discharge section of the first coolant flow passage of the cooling section are arranged on a pump atmospheric side.
In a third embodiment of the present invention, preferably the turbo-molecular pump further comprises a base cooling section having a second coolant flow passage through which coolant flows, and cooling the base. The temperature regulation section controls ON/OFF of the heater and the amount of coolant supplied to the base cooling section based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor to regulate the temperature of the stator.
In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, preferably the turbo-molecular pump further comprises a three-way valve to which the coolant discharge section of the first coolant flow passage, a coolant supply side of the second coolant flow passage, and a coolant pipe bypassing the second coolant flow passage are connected, switching inflow destination of coolant discharged from the coolant discharge section of the first coolant flow passage between the coolant supply side of the second coolant flow passage and the coolant pipe bypassing the second coolant flow passage. The temperature regulation section switches the three-way valve to the coolant pipe and turns ON the heater when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is less than the reaction product accumulation prevention temperature, and the temperature regulation section switches the three-way valve to the coolant supply side of the second coolant flow passage and turns OFF the heater when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or more than the reaction product accumulation prevention temperature.
In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, preferably the spacer located nearest to the base of the plurality of spacers stacked on the base is cooled by coolant.
In a sixth embodiment of the present invention, preferably the turbo-molecular pump further comprises a pump case fixed to the base with fixation bolts, the pump case holding the plurality of spacers stacked on the base between the pump case and the base. The heat insulation member is a heat insulation washer which is attached to the fixation bolts and arranged between the spacer cooled by the coolant and the base.
The present invention makes it possible to improve the exhaust flow rate and prevent the accumulation of a reaction product.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, an active magnetic bearing turbo-molecular pump will be described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied, for example, to passive magnetic bearing turbo-molecular pumps using a permanent magnet or turbo-molecular pumps using a mechanical bearing.
A rotor 30 has a plurality of stages of rotor blades 30a and a cylindrical section 30b which is formed on an exhaust downstream side with respect to the rotor blades 30a. The rotor 30 is fastened to a shaft 31 as a rotor shaft. The rotor 30 and the shaft 31 together constitute a pump rotor body. The shaft 31 is supported in a contactless manner by magnetic bearings 37, 38, and 39 which are disposed on a base 20. Electromagnets of the axial magnetic bearing 39 are arranged so as to sandwich a rotor disk 35 which is disposed on the lower end of the shaft 31 in the axial direction.
The pump rotor body (the rotor 30 and the shaft 31) which is magnetically levitated in a freely rotatable manner by the magnetic bearings 37 to 39 is driven to rotate at high speed by a motor 36. For example, a three-phase blushless motor is used as the motor 36. A motor stator 36a of the motor 36 is disposed on the base 20, and a motor rotor 36b which is provided with a permanent magnet is disposed on the shaft 31. Emergency mechanical bearings 26a and 26b support the shaft 31 when the magnetic bearings are not operating.
A plurality of stages of stationary blades 22 are each arranged between the vertically adjacent rotor blades 30a. The plurality of stages of stationary blades 22 are positioned on the base 20 by a plurality of spacers 23a and a cooling spacer 23b. Each of the plurality of stages of stationary blades 22 is sandwiched by the spacers 23a. The cooling spacer 23b is arranged on the lowest stage of a stacked body of the plurality of stages of stationary blades 22 and the spacers 23a. A detailed configuration of a portion in which the cooling spacer 23b is arranged will be described below. When a case 21 is fixed to the base 20 with bolts 40, a stacked body of the stationary blades 22, the spacers 23a, and the cooling spacer 23b is fixed to the base 20 so as to be sandwiched between an upper end locking section 21b of the case 21 and the base 20. As a result, the plurality of stages of stationary blades 22 are positioned in the axial direction (vertical direction in the drawing).
The turbo-molecular pump shown in
A base cooling pipe 46, a heater 42, and a temperature sensor 43 for controlling the temperature of the screw stator 24 are disposed on the base 20. The temperature regulation for the screw stator 24 will be described below. In the example shown in
The spacer cooling pipe 45 is bent into a generally circular shape, so that a coolant supply section 45a and a coolant discharge section 45b of the spacer cooling pipe 45 are extracted to a lateral side of the cooling spacer 23b. A piping joint 50 is attached to each of the coolant supply section 45a and the coolant discharge section 45b. Coolant (cooling water, for example) flows into the spacer cooling pipe 45 from the coolant supply section 45a, then circularly flows along the spacer cooling pipe 45, and is then discharged from the coolant discharge section 45b.
Referring back to
A vacuum seal 48 is disposed between the flange section 232 of the cooling spacer 23b and the base 20. Also, a vacuum seal 47 is disposed between the flange section 232 and the flange 21c. The screw stator 24 is fixed to the base 20 with bolts 49. The base 20 is heated by the heater 42, and cooled by the base cooling pipe 46 through which coolant flows. The temperature sensor 43 is arranged on the base 20 near a position to which the screw stator 24 is fixed.
The cooling spacer 23b is cooled by coolant flowing inside the spacer cooling pipe 45. Thus, heat of the stationary blades 22 is first transferred to the spacers 23a and then to the cooling spacer 23b as indicated by broken line arrows and released into the coolant inside the spacer cooling pipe 45. On the other hand, in discharge of gas producing a reaction product that is likely to be accumulated, heating performed by the heater 42 and cooling performed by the base cooling pipe 46 are controlled to make the temperature of the screw stator 24 equal to or higher than a temperature that does not cause accumulation of the reaction product. As the temperature that does not cause the accumulation of the reaction product, a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation temperature of the reaction product is employed.
Therefore, the heat insulation washers 44 are arranged between the cooling spacer 23b and the base 20 to prevent heat from flowing toward the stationary blades 22 from the base 20 in a high temperature state. Further, as can be seen from
When a temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43 is less than a predetermined temperature, the temperature regulation controller 511 switches an outflow side of the three-way valve 52 to the bypass pipe 53 to bypass coolant from the three-way valve 52 to the coolant discharge section 46b. Further, the heater 42 is turned ON. As a result, the base 20 is heated by the heater 42, which increases the temperature of the base 20 and the temperature of the screw stator 24.
The predetermined temperature is equal to or higher than the sublimation temperature of the reaction product described above, and previously stored in a storage section (not shown) in the temperature regulation controller 511. In the example illustrated in
When a temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the temperature regulation controller 511 turns OFF the heater 42 and switches the outflow side of the three-way valve 52 to the coolant supply section 46a of the base cooling pipe 46 to thereby supply the coolant to the base cooling pipe 46. Performing such temperature regulation control by the temperature regulation controller 511 maintains the screw stator 24 at a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation temperature of the reaction product, thereby making it possible to prevent the accumulation of the reaction product.
On the other hand, since the coolant is constantly supplied to the spacer cooling pipe 45, the stationary blades 22 are maintained at a low temperature by the cooling spacer 23b. As a result, heat release from the rotor blades 30a to the stationary blades 22 by radiation is accelerated, thereby making it possible to maintain the rotor 30 at a lower temperature than a conventional one. As a result, it is possible to increase the exhaust flow rate. A temperature level in the spacer cooling pipe 45 is lower than a temperature level in the base cooling pipe 46. Thus, the coolant is preferably circulated from the spacer cooling pipe 45 to the base cooling pipe 46.
A plurality of stages of stationary blades 22 are positioned by a plurality of spacers 23a and the spacer section 231. Thus, a ring-like heat insulation member 44c is arranged between the first spacer 23a from the base side and the base 20. Further, a gap is formed between the flange section 232 and the base 20 without providing a heat insulation member therebetween. Heat of the stationary blades 22 and the spacers 23a is transferred to the spacer section 231 of the cooling spacer 23d as indicated by broken line arrows, and released into coolant inside the spacer cooling pipe 45 through the coupling section 233 and the flange section 232.
In the example shown in
In the configuration shown in
When the flow rate of gas to be discharged is not so high, it is possible to perform the temperature regulation for the screw stator 24 by a temperature regulation device provided with no base cooling pipe 46 as shown in
In the example shown in
In the cooling spacer 23b shown in
As described above, in the turbo-molecular pump of the present embodiment, the spacer cooling pipe 45 is provided in one of the spacers arranged on the base side for positioning the stationary blades 22, that is, in the cooling spacer 23b. The cooling spacer 23b is cooled by coolant flowing inside the spacer cooling pipe 45. Further, arranging the heat insulation washers 44 between the cooling spacer 23b arranged on the base 20 and the base 20 prevents heat from flowing from the base 20 which is in a high temperature state by the temperature regulation to the cooling spacer 23b. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively cool the stationary blades 22 and also heat the screw stator 24 by the temperature regulation. As a result, it is possible to increase the exhaust flow rate and prevent the accumulation of the reaction product on the screw stator 24.
The meaning of “the spacers arranged on the base side” is as follows. For example, in the example shown in
The cooling spacer 23b is provided for the purpose of cooling the stationary blades 22. In order to reduce heat flowing from the base 20 toward the stationary blades 22 as far as possible, the cooling spacer 23b is preferably disposed on the lowest stage of the spacers 23a, 23b, that is, at the nearest position to the base side. It is needless to say that the cooling spacer 23b may also be arranged at a position other than the lowest stage by arranging the heat insulation member 44c between the spacer 23a and the base 20 as shown in
As shown in
Further, it is possible to regulate the temperature of the screw stator 24 at a temperature that can prevent the reaction product accumulation by disposing the base cooling pipe 46 on the base 20, turning ON or OFF the heater 42 based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43, and controlling the switching of the three-way valve 52 which performs ON/OFF of inflow of the coolant into the base cooling pipe 46. As a result, it is possible to prevent the accumulation of the reaction product on the screw stator 24.
Further, there is further provided the three-way valve 52 to which the coolant discharge section 45b of the cooling spacer 23b, the coolant supply side 46a of the base cooling pipe 46, and the bypass pipe 53 which bypasses the base cooling pipe 46 are connected, the three-way valve 52 switching the inflow destination of coolant discharged from the cooling spacer 23b between the coolant supply side 46a of the base cooling pipe 46 and the bypass pipe 53. Accordingly, it is possible to integrate coolant supply lines to the turbo-molecular pump into a signal line.
Using the heat insulation washers 44 as a member for thermally insulating the base 20 and the cooling spacer 23b from each other as shown in
The above description is merely an example. Therefore, the present invention is not limited at all to the above embodiment unless the features of the present invention are impaired.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2012/074390 | 9/24/2012 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2014/045438 | 3/27/2014 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20020039533 | Miyamoto | Apr 2002 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0 855 517 | Jul 1998 | EP |
04-164187 | Jun 1992 | JP |
10-205486 | Aug 1998 | JP |
2002-180988 | Jun 2002 | JP |
2005-083271 | Mar 2005 | JP |
3930297 | Mar 2007 | JP |
2008-038764 | Feb 2008 | JP |
2011-127483 | Jun 2011 | JP |
3168845 | Jun 2011 | JP |
Entry |
---|
Japanese Office Action for corresponding Japanese Application No. 2014-536533 issued on Sep. 1, 2015 (with English translation). |
Chinese Office Action dated Jan. 29, 2016 for corresponding Chinese Application No. 201280073600.X (English translation). |
International Search Report for corresponding International Application No. PCT/JP2012/074390 mailed Oct. 23, 2012. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20150226229 A1 | Aug 2015 | US |