Flap transfer valve with pivoting bearing

摘要

A flap transfer valve is disclosed. An elongated first opening can be closed by an elongated valve closure beam, which can be pivoted via a pivoting bearing between a closed and open position. A shaft can be rotated by a drive and is operatively connected to the valve closure beam such that rotation of the shaft causes the valve closure beam to pivot. The pivoting bearing is formed by at least three bearing elements which are distributed at a distance from one another along the shaft axis in the valve housing, and on which the valve closure beam and the shaft are mounted. The shaft axis is at a distance from the pivoting axis. First arms are arranged on the shaft to provide a force to the rear face of the valve closure beam to pivot the valve closure beam. According to one development of the invention, the valve closure beam, the pivoting bearing and the shaft are arranged on a valve cover in a gas-tight valve housing, wherein the shaft, the pivoting bearing and the valve closure beam can be decoupled from the valve housing.

主权项

1. A flap transfer valve for the transfer of semiconductor elements or substrates into a semiconductor or substrate processing process chamber which can be isolated in a gas-tight manner, comprising:
an elongated first opening which extends along a first longitudinal axis and is surrounded in the form of a frame by a first sealing surface, an elongated valve closure beam,
which extends along a second longitudinal axis, which is substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis, andwhich, on a front face has a closure surface for closing the first opening and a second sealing surface which corresponds to the first sealing surface and can be brought into gas-tight contact with it, a pivoting bearing, by means of which the valve closure beam can be pivoted with a pivoting angle of 60° to 105° about a pivoting axis which is substantially parallel to the second longitudinal axis, between
a closed position in which the closure surface of the valve closure beam covers and closes the first opening, and in which the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface make gas-tight contact, andan open position, in which the valve closure beam is pivoted away from the first opening and releases the first opening, a shaft which can rotate about a shaft axis which is substantially parallel to the second longitudinal axis, wherein the shaft is operatively connected to the valve closure beam such that rotation of the shaft about the shaft axis causes the valve closure beam to pivot about the pivoting axis, and at least one drive, which is coupled to the shaft in order to rotate the shaft and to move the valve closure beam between the open position and the closed position, wherein the pivoting bearing is formed by at least three bearing elements which are distributed at a distance from one another along the shaft axis and the pivoting axis in the valve housing, the valve closure beam is mounted on the bearing elements such that it can pivot about the common pivoting axis, with the pivoting axis running at the side of the first opening substantially on the plane of the first sealing surface, the shaft is mounted in at least some of the bearing elements, the shaft axis runs at a distance from the pivoting axis, in a direction at right angles to the plane of the first sealing surface, the bearing elements each have at least one associated first arm which is arranged on the shaft such that they rotate together, the respective first arm engages directly or indirectly at its free end with a rear face of the valve closure beam, such that, by rotation of the shaft and therefore by pivoting of the first arm about the shaft axis, a force can be applied to the rear face of the valve closure beam in order to pivot the valve closure beam about the pivoting axis between the open position and the closed position, and the shaft axis is not collinear with the pivoting axis.