Multi-vane throttle valve
AssigneeFerrotec (USA) Corporation
InventorPheng Sin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-vane throttling valve for a vacuum process chamber includes a reciprocal vane pivotally connected to and extending backwardly away from a back side of each of a plurality of rotatable vanes, and a stationary reciprocal vane angling assembly fixed in a predefined position and having an assembly pin extending transversely toward the reciprocal vane a predefined distance sufficient to support the reciprocal vane whereby the stationary angling assembly causes the reciprocal vane to pivot in a range between a substantially parallel position with the respective rotatable vane and a transverse position with the respective rotatable vane when the respective rotatable vane is rotated.
Claims22
A multi-vane throttling valve for a vacuum process chamber having a throttle chamber body with a through-opening, an inside exposed to the vacuum process chamber and an outside exposed to atmospheric pressure, a plurality of rotatable vanes mounted within the through-opening for controlling a flow of gases through the through-opening, and a drive mechanism for rotating the plurality of rotatable vanes, the valve comprising:
- a reciprocal vane pivotally connected to a back side of each of the plurality of rotatable vanes and extending backwardly away from each of the respective rotatable vane;
- and
- a stationary reciprocal vane angling assembly fixed in a predefined position, the vane angling assembly having an assembly pin extending transversely toward the reciprocal vane a predefined distance sufficient to support the reciprocal vane;
- whereby the stationary angling assembly causes the reciprocal vane to pivot in a range between a substantially parallel position with the respective rotatable vane and a transverse position with the respective rotatable vane when the respective rotatable vane is rotated to control the flow of gases through the through-opening.
A method of preventing heat and deposition particles in an electron beam vacuum deposition system from entering a vacuum pump of the deposition system during a vacuum chamber process using a throttling valve, the method comprising:
- obtaining a multi-vane throttling valve for use with a vacuum process chamber wherein the multi-vane throttling valve has a plurality of rotatable vanes disposed in a vane chamber housing of a throttle chamber body wherein the vane chamber housing has a through-opening and wherein each of the plurality of rotatable vanes has an axis of rotation;
- configuring each of the plurality of rotatable vanes with a reciprocal vane pivotally connected to a back side of each of the plurality of rotatable vanes and extending backwardly away from each respective rotatable vane;
- and
- rotatably adjusting the orientation of each rotatable vane to thereby cause the reciprocal vane to pivot in a range between a substantially parallel position with the respective rotatable vane and a transverse position with the respective rotatable vane when the respective rotatable vane is rotated to control the flow of gases through the through-opening to provide linear conductance control during vacuum processing in the vacuum process chamber.
A method of preventing heat and deposition particles in an electron beam vacuum deposition system from entering a vacuum pump of the deposition system during a vacuum chamber process using a throttling valve, the method comprising:
- rotatably adjusting the orientation of a rotatable vane disposed within the throttling valve causing a reciprocal vane pivotally connected to a back side of the rotatable vane to pivot to a transverse position with respect to the rotatable vane wherein the reciprocal vane extends backwardly away from the rotatable vane and is supported by a stationary angling assembly having an assembly pin that supports the reciprocal vane to thereby deflect heat and deposition particles directed toward the throttling valve away from the vacuum pump of the deposition system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.