Cryopump system, and control device and regeneration method for cryopump system

A cryopump system comprising:

• a plurality of cryopumps, each cryopump comprising a rough valve connecting the cryopump to a common rough pump and a pressure sensor measuring a pressure in the cryopump;
• and
• a controller that controls, for each of the plurality of cryopumps, the rough valve of the cryopump based on a measured pressure from the pressure sensor of the cryopump such that the cryopump is decompressed to a first reference pressure by the common rough pump and thereafter a vacuum is maintained in the cryopump, and the cryopump is further decompressed to a second reference pressure lower than the first reference pressure by the common rough pump,
• wherein the controller is configured to, based on the measured pressure from the pressure sensor of a first one of the cryopumps, open the rough valve of a second one of the cryopumps such that the second one of the cryopumps is decompressed to the first reference pressure while the vacuum is maintained in the first one of the cryopumps, and
• wherein the controller comprises a first waiting list defining an order in which the plurality of cryopumps use the common rough pump, and the controller is configured to select a cryopump from the plurality of cryopumps according to the first waiting list as the first one of the cryopumps, and to select another cryopump next to the cryopump according to the first waiting list as the second one of the cryopumps.

A cryopump system comprising:

• a plurality of cryopumps, each cryopump comprising a rough valve connecting the cryopump to a common rough pump and a pressure sensor measuring a pressure in the cryopump;
• and
• a controller that controls, for each of the plurality of cryopumps, the rough valve of the cryopump based on a measured pressure from the pressure sensor of the cryopump such that the cryopump is decompressed to a first reference pressure by the common rough pump and thereafter a vacuum is maintained in the cryopump, and the cryopump is further decompressed to a second reference pressure lower than the first reference pressure by the common rough pump,
• wherein the controller is configured to, based on the measured pressure from the pressure sensor of a first one of the cryopumps, open the rough valve of a second one of the cryopumps such that the second one of the cryopumps is decompressed to the first reference pressure while the vacuum is maintained in the first one of the cryopumps, and
• wherein the first reference pressure is selected from a range of 600 to 50 Pa, and the second reference pressure is selected from a range of 100 to 10 Pa.

A regeneration method for a cryopump system, the cryopump system including a plurality of cryopumps connected to a common rough pump, each cryopump comprising a rough valve connecting the cryopump to the common rough pump and a pressure sensor measuring a pressure in the cryopump, the regeneration method comprising:

• decompressing the plurality of cryopumps consecutively to a first reference pressure with the common rough pump;
• maintaining a vacuum in the cryopumps decompressed to the first reference pressure;
• and
• further decompressing the plurality of cryopumps to a second reference pressure lower than the first reference pressure with the common rough pump,
• wherein the decompressing to the first reference pressure includes, based on a measured pressure from the pressure sensor of a first one of the cryopumps, opening the rough valve of a second one of the cryopumps such that the second one of the cryopumps is decompressed to the first reference pressure while the vacuum is maintained in the first one of the cryopumps, and
• wherein the opening includes comparing the measured pressure from the pressure sensor of the first one of the cryopumps with the first reference pressure, and opening the rough valve of the second one of the cryopumps when the measured pressure falls below the first reference pressure.