Powder and deposition control in throttle valves
AssigneeMKS Instruments, Inc.
InventorsYoufan Gu, Matthew C. Grout
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Powder and deposition control in a throttle valve includes nozzle inserts in the valve body that form annular plenums and annular nozzles for injecting annular flows of cleaning gas adjacent to the inside wall surface of the valve body for cleaning powders and depositions off surfaces in the valve body and off the closure member of the throttle valve. The annular flows of cleaning gas can be in intermittent, periodic, or in pulsed bursts or at a steady-state flow rates to dislodge powder particles stuck to the inside surface of the throttle valve, to etch or reactively clean solid deposits, or to prevent or minimize build-up of powder particles or solid deposits in the throttle valve.
Claims35
Valve apparatus, comprising:
- a valve body that has a flow channel with a closure member positioned between an inlet end and an outlet end of the flow channel in the valve body;
- a nozzle insert in the flow channel that forms an annular orifice in the flow channel;
- an annular plenum around the nozzle insert in fluid flow communication with the annular orifice;
- and
- an auxiliary port connected in fluid flow relation to the annular plenum.
The valve apparatus of statement 5, including a circular seal mounted on the rim flange.
Throttle valve apparatus for throttling a flow of effluent gas in a vacuum pumping line of a CVD system that produces powder particles in the effluent, comprising:
- a valve body with a flow channel that is defined by an inside wall surface of the valve body and that extends along a longitudinal axis from an inlet port to an outlet port;
- a throttling closure member positioned in the flow channel between the inlet port and the outlet port;
- an annular orifice adjacent to the inside wall surface facing toward the throttling closure member;
- an annular plenum in the valve body connected in fluid flow relation to the annular orifice by an annular nozzle which is oriented to inject an annular flow of cleaning gas through the annular orifice and into the flow channel along the inside wall surface of the valve body parallel to and concentric with longitudinal axis and toward the throttling closure member;
- an auxiliary duct in the valve body in fluid flow relation to the annular plenum and adapted for connection to a source of cleaning gas.
A method of controlling powder and solid deposition in a throttle valve that has a valve body with a flow channel defined by an inside wall surface of the valve body and that extends along a longitudinal axis between an inlet port and an outlet port of the valve body, and a closure member in the flow channel, comprising:
- directing two annular flows of cleaning gas toward each other in opposite directions from opposite sides of the closure member along the inside wall surface paralleled to and concentric with the longitudinal axis.
A method of controlling powder and solid deposition in a throttle valve that ha valve body with a flow channel defined by an inside wall surface of the valve body between an inlet port and an outlet port of the valve body, and a closure member in the flow channel, comprising:
- flowing a first portion of a cleaning gas through an upstream annular nozzle positioned adjacent to the inside wall surface upstream from the closure member and directed along the inside wall surface toward the closure member;
- and
- flowing a second portion of the cleaning gas through a downstream annular nozzle positioned adjacent to the inside wall surface downstream from the closure member and directed along the inside wall surface toward the closure member.
A method of controlling powder and solid deposition in a valve that has a valve body and that extends along longitudinal axis with a flow channel defined by an inside wall surface of the valve body between an inlet port and an outlet port of the valve body, and a closure member in the flow channel, comprising:
- directing at least one annular flow of cleaning gas into the flow chamber along the inside wall surface toward the closure member parallel to and concentric with longitudinal axis.
Valve apparatus that has a valve body with a flow channel defined by an inside wall surface of the valve body and that extends along a longitudinal axis between an inlet port and an outlet port of the valve body, and a closure member in the flow channel, characterized by means for directing two annular flows of cleaning gas toward each other in opposite directions from opposite sides of the closure member along the inside wall surface parallel to and concentric with longitudinal axis.
Valve apparatus that has a valve body with a flow channel defined by an inside wall surface of the valve between an inlet port and an outlet port of the valve body, and a closure member in the flow channel, comprising:
- an upstream annular nozzle positioned adjacent to the inside wall surface upstream from the closure member and directed along the inside wall surface toward the closure member;
- and
- a downstream annular nozzle positioned adjacent to the inside wall surface downstream from the closure member and directed along the inside wall surface toward the closure member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.