Liquid zone seal
AssigneeEuv LLC
InventorLeonard E. Klebanoff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A seal assembly that provides a means for establishing multiple pressure zones within a system. The seal assembly combines a plate extending from the inner wall of a housing or inner enclosure that intersects with and is immersed in the fluid contained in a well formed in a tray contained within the enclosure. The fluid is a low vapor pressure oil, chemically inert and oxidation resistant. The use of a fluid as the sealing component provides a seal that is self-healing and mechanically robust not subject to normal mechanical wear, breakage, and formation of cracks or pinholes and decouples external mechanical vibrations from internal structural members.
Claims17
A seal assembly for connecting an inner and an outer spaced apart members, the seal assembly comprising:
- a cantilever attached to the outer member and extending to the inner member, wherein the inner member has an upper and a lower surface;
- a well in the upper surface and around the perimeter of the inner member, wherein the cantilever and well define an aperture;
- and
- a fluid in the well, said fluid sealing the aperture to provide a seal having substantially zero gas conductance and accommodate either positive or negative pressure differentials across the seal assembly, thereby providing a substantially vibration-free connection between the inner and outer spaced apart members.
An apparatus, comprising;
- a housing defining a chamber having an inner surface;
- a tray within the chamber supported by at least one support member, wherein the tray separates the chamber into a first compartment and a second compartment which are at different pressures, and wherein said tray is spaced apart from the inner surface of the chamber;
- a well formed proximate the edges and along the perimeter of the tray, wherein said well contains a fluid;
- and
- a cantilever attached to and joining the inner surface of the chamber to the fluid, wherein the combination of the cantilever and the fluid contained in the well form a seal assembly that vibrationally isolates said tray from said housing.
A photolithography system, comprising:
- a housing having an outer enclosure that defines a cavity and an inner chamber that defines a vacuum chamber, wherein the inner chamber is disposed within the cavity;
- a first tray, situated within the vacuum chamber, that is supported by a least one first support member, wherein said first tray separates the vacuum chamber into a first zone and a second zone that are at different pressures;
- a second tray, spaced apart from said first tray, and situated within the vacuum chamber, wherein said second tray defines a third zone that is at a different pressure from that of the first and second zones;
- and
- seal assemblies connecting said first and second trays to the inner surface of the inner enclosure, wherein said seal assemblies provide a substantially vibration-free and low gas conductance connection between the inner surface of the inner enclosure and said first and second trays, each seal assembly comprising
- a cantilever attached to the inner surface of the inner enclosure and extending to a tray, wherein the tray has an upper and a lower surface;
- a well in the upper surface and around the perimeter of the tray, wherein said cantilever and well define an aperture;
- and
- a fluid in the well, said fluid sealing the aperture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.