JP2001235099A - Remounting system of process gas supply unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remounting system of a process gas supply unit capable of remounting a module corresponding to each variation, in the process gas supply unit compact and in light weight. SOLUTION: In this process gas supply unit 1, mounting a check valve 11, a purge valve 12, a regulator 13 with interrupting function, a supply valve 15, and either one of a mass flow controller 14 or a sensor pack in a single base block 10 formed with flow paths 21 to 26, the mass flow controller 14 and the sensor pack can be remounted relating to the same base block 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process gas supply unit for supplying a process gas used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and more particularly to a process gas supply unit capable of replacing modules.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a wafer processing step of semiconductor manufacturing, a process gas is used for etching of photoresist processing (photoresist coating, exposure, development, etching) and the like. In order to supply a specific process gas from several types to a chamber. Is configured. The gas supply circuit
A gas supply line is configured according to the type of the process gas, and each process gas is sent to the chamber via a fluid control device such as a mass flow controller. Also,
Since the process gas is corrosive and toxic, the process gas is replaced by using a purge gas such as nitrogen gas, and the gas supply line is used in addition to the process gas supply line to perform the gas exhaust process. The purge gas supply line and the vent line are combined.

Therefore, the gas supply line requires a plurality of valves for controlling the flow or exhaust of the process gas or the purge gas, a mass flow controller for adjusting the flow rate, and the like. In recent years, these fluid devices have been unitized from the viewpoint of making the installation area compact and shortening the flow path length. Here, FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing an example of a conventional process gas supply unit. The process gas supply unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “gas supply unit”) 200 includes a regulator 211 and a pressure transducer 21 in order from the upstream side.
2, filter 203, shut-off valve 204, purge valve 211,
The check valve 212, the mass flow controller 205, the exhaust valve 221, the check valve 222, the shut-off valve 223, and the gas supply valve 206 are arranged side by side and combined.

The modules such as the regulator 211 constituting the gas supply unit 200 are connected by a plurality of mount bases 400 a to 400 bj (hereinafter collectively referred to as “mount base 400”) and formed on the mount base 400. A series of gas supply lines are formed via the flow path. The plurality of mount bases 400 are fixed on a base plate 410 to form an integrated gas supply unit 200. In such an entire unit, a regulator 211, a pressure transducer 212, a filter 203, a shutoff valve 204, a mass flow controller 205, and a gas supply valve 206 constitute a process gas line for supplying a process gas, and an input port 501 side supplies a process gas. The source and the output port 502 side are plumbed to the chamber.

Further, a purge valve 211 and a check valve 212
Constitutes a purge gas supply line, and the mount base 4
A 00e purge port is plumbed to the nitrogen gas supply. Further, the exhaust valve 221, the check valve 222, and the shutoff valve 2
Reference numeral 23 denotes a vent line for exhausting a process gas, and exhaust ports of the mount bases 400h and 400i are connected to an exhaust gas treatment device. In the gas supply unit 200, several units are arranged according to the type of the process gas, and each unit is piped to form one gas supply circuit.

Therefore, the flow of gas in one gas supply unit 200 constituting a gas supply circuit will be examined.
The process gas entered from the input port 501 is regulated by the regulator 211 under monitoring of the gas pressure by the pressure transducer 212 and sent to the secondary side. Then, impurities mixed in the process gas are removed by the filter 203, flow to the mass flow controller 205 through the shutoff valve 204, and are reduced to a predetermined flow rate.
The process gas adjusted to the set pressure and the set flow rate is further sent from the output port 502 to the chamber through the gas supply valve 206.

[0007] In the case of the purging process, a cycle vent is performed in which a vacuum vent for evacuating a gas in a flow path and an atmospheric vent for pressurizing and sealing a purge gas in a flow path opened to the atmosphere are repeated. . At the time of cycle purging, the shutoff valve 204 and the gas supply valve 206 are closed, and the process gas in the flow path therebetween is purged.
Therefore, at the time of vacuum venting, vacuum evacuation is performed from the exhaust port of the mount base 400h, and the gas in the flow path is evacuated. On the other hand, at the time of venting to atmosphere, a purge gas such as nitrogen gas is pressurized and sealed from the purge port of the mount base 400e, and is simultaneously exhausted from the exhaust port of the mount base 400i that is opened to the atmosphere. All the exhausted gases are sent to an exhaust treatment device, where they are treated.

[0008]

However, in the case of such a conventional gas supply unit 200, since the number of modules to be mounted, such as the regulator 211, is large, the weight of the gas supply unit 200 itself is heavy, and the length in which the modules are arranged is long. The dimension in the vertical direction was also large. If the piping to the chamber becomes long, the gas supply unit 200 will circulate a process gas whose characteristics are liable to change over a long distance. Therefore, it is desirable to install the gas supply unit 200 near the chamber. In particular, since a port is exposed on the back side of the furnace body of the chamber, it is considered to be the most suitable place as the installation point. However, it is difficult to arrange the conventional heavy and large gas supply unit 200 not only on the back of the furnace body of the chamber but also in the vicinity of the chamber where the installation space is limited. In addition, since the weight of the unit itself is heavy, when several units are combined, the weight of the entire gas supply circuit becomes considerable, and handling by an operator is very inconvenient.

Incidentally, there are various variations of the gas supply unit used in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in addition to the above-described type. That is, if the mass flow controller 205 is used, the flow rate can be adjusted with high accuracy, but the response time until the actual flow rate becomes stable at the set flow rate becomes slow. For this reason, a temperature sensor is provided as a module in place of the mass flow controller 205, and a gas supply unit or the like is employed which utilizes the fact that a fluid in the sonic range flows at a constant flow rate under predetermined conditions such as pressure and temperature. However, in such a case, the conventional gas supply unit needs to be produced as a completely different unit, for example, by reassembling the whole or using a special mount base due to the difference in the dimensions of the mass flow controller 205 and the temperature sensor.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a compact and lightweight process gas supply unit, in which a module corresponding to each variation can be replaced. The purpose is to do.

[0011]

Therefore, a process gas supply unit reloading system according to the present invention comprises a check valve, a purge valve, a regulator with a shut-off function, a gas supply valve,
A process gas supply unit in which one of the mass flow controller and the sensor pack is mounted on one base block having a flow path, wherein the mass flow controller and the sensor pack are mounted on the same base block. It is made possible.

The process gas supply unit reloading system according to the present invention includes a check valve, a purge valve, a gas supply valve, a regulator with a shut-off function or a pressure control valve, and a mass flow controller or a sensor pack. Either one is a process gas supply unit mounted on one base block in which a flow path is formed, and the regulator with a shutoff function and the pressure control valve, and the mass flow controller and the sensor pack are connected to the same base block. It is characterized in that it can be mounted and replaced.

[0013] In the system for reloading a process gas supply unit according to the present invention, the sensor pack has a built-in temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, or has a built-in pressure sensor and a flow sensor. . Further, in the system for replacing a process gas supply unit of the present invention, when the sensor pack has a built-in temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, an orifice is provided at a flow path connecting portion with the base block on the secondary side of the sensor pack. It is characterized in that the provided gasket for adjusting the flow rate is provided.

[0014]

Next, an embodiment of a process gas supply unit reloading system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The process gas supply unit of the present embodiment described below (hereinafter, simply referred to as “gas supply unit” in all embodiments) is reduced in size and weight in response to the above-described problem of the related art. It is possible to replace modules corresponding to each variation. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a first embodiment of the gas supply unit replacement system.

First, the gas supply unit 1 dramatically reduces the number of modules, such as regulators, as compared with the conventional gas supply unit (see FIG. 13), and uses a flow path connecting component such as a mount base 400 for each block. It is configured as a so-called mono-stick type in which one base block 10 is used for a connection flow path without being used. Then, on the base block 10, the check valve 1 is arranged in order from the left of FIG.
1, purge valve 12, regulator with shut-off function (hereinafter, referred to as
A module that constitutes a unit is mounted, and a mass flow controller 14, a gas supply valve 15, and the like.

In order to make the gas supply unit 1 aimed at miniaturization and weight reduction as a basic concept of a monostick, it was first considered to limit the modules constituting the unit to the minimum necessary. . Here, comparing the gas supply unit (200, 1) of the present embodiment (see FIG. 13) with that of the present embodiment on a module basis, the gas supply unit 1 of the present embodiment has a pressure transducer which is different from that of the conventional gas supply unit 200. 212,
The filter 203, the shutoff valve 204, the exhaust valve 221, the check valve 222, and the shutoff valve 223 are removed. We removed these for the following reasons:

First, the pressure transducer 212 employs a regulator 13 having a shutoff function (details will be described later), and can be replaced by a pressure sensor 28 (see FIG. 2) for detecting a pilot pressure for operating the regulator 13. Therefore, it was excluded from the modules constituting the unit. The filter 203 was replaced with an in-line filter 16 inserted in the input port 17 of the base block 10, as shown in FIG. The shutoff valve 204 is a regulator 1
By giving the shut-off function to 3, the shut-off valve itself became unnecessary. Further, the exhaust valve 221, the check valve 222, and the shutoff valve 223 constitute a vent line. However, since the cleaning of the inside of the chamber is originally performed in the wafer processing step, the exhaust to the processing apparatus is separately performed. The vent line itself was eliminated from the idea that batch processing with the gas in the chamber was possible without performing it.

As described above, the realization of the monolithic gas supply unit for the purpose of miniaturization and weight reduction was achieved by selecting and developing necessary modules. Therefore, a specific configuration of the gas supply unit 1 will be described below. The base block 10 is formed by turning a prism-shaped block body sideways.
A screw hole (not shown) is formed in a mounting surface 10a for fixing a module such as a third module, and a flow path communicating between the modules is formed.

The base block 10 has an input port 17 connected to a process gas supply source at one end face in the longitudinal direction.
And an output port 18 for piping to the chamber side is provided on the other end surface. And the base block 10
Inside, an input flow path 21 communicating with the input port 17 is formed linearly right below the regulator 13, where it is bent at a right angle and extends to the mounting surface 10a. The base block 10 has a check valve 11, a purge valve 12, a regulator 13, a mass flow controller 1 disposed thereon.
V-shaped flow paths 22, 23, 24, and 25 for connecting adjacent ones of the gas supply valve 15 and the gas supply valve 15 are formed, and an L-shaped output flow path 26 for connecting the gas supply valve 15 to the output port 18 is formed. Have been.

On the other hand, the modules constituting the gas supply unit 1 include a check valve 11, a purge valve 12,
The regulator 13, the mass flow controller 14, and the gas supply valve 15. The regulator 13 connected to the input port 17 has a shut-off function shown in FIG. 2, and is configured to perform gas pressure adjustment by pilot pressure and shut off by a spring (details will be described later). . And the regulator 13 includes:
A mass flow controller 14 for adjusting a flow rate is communicated via a V-shaped flow path 24, and the mass flow controller 14
Is connected to the gas supply valve 15 via a V-shaped flow path 25. The gas supply valve 15 is an on-off valve using a cylinder as an actuator. Specifically, the pressure control valve 90 (see FIG. 9) described later has the same configuration as that of the purge port except for a purge port.

The regulator 13 is connected to a check valve 11 and a purge valve 12 for sending a purge gas. In particular, the regulator 13 is connected to a secondary side of the purge valve 12 via a V-shaped flow path 23. The check valve 11 and the purge valve 12 are connected to the V-shaped flow path 2
It is communicated through 2. The purge valve 12 is an open / close valve using a cylinder as an actuator, and also has the same configuration as a pressure control valve 90 (see FIG. 9) described later except for a purge port. The gas supply unit 1 of this embodiment includes a dedicated controller 20A for each unit, and performs appropriate pressure adjustment control and flow rate adjustment control based on a set value input from a main controller that controls the entire semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Is being done. The controller 20A is a regulator control 30 for operating the regulator 13 (refers to the electropneumatic regulator 27 and the pressure sensor 28 shown in FIG. 2).
Are connected to the mass flow controller 14.

Next, the regulator 13 and the mass flow controller 14 constituting the gas supply unit 1 will be described. First, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the regulator 13. In the regulator 13, an input port 33, an output port 34, and a purge port 35 communicate with a lower pressure regulation chamber 32 partitioned by a diaphragm 31. A valve seat 36 is fitted into the flow passage in which the input port 34 is formed, and the flow passage is opened and closed by the valve seat 36 and the valve body 37 at the lower end of the valve rod integrated with the diaphragm 31. A shutoff valve is configured. Further, an operation rod 38 with a flange projecting upward is integrally formed with the diaphragm 31, and the operation rod 38 is upwardly moved by a spring 39 having sufficient strength so that the valve body 37 exerts a shutoff function. Being energized. Then, a cover 40 having a pilot port 31 is covered so as to cover the operation rod 38, and a pressurizing chamber 42 is formed on the diaphragm 31.

The regulator 13 is connected to a pilot electropneumatic regulator 27 for feeding air into the pressurizing chamber 42 to the pilot port 31, and a pressure sensor 28 is provided on the air pipe 29. I have. The controller 20A dedicated to the gas supply unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the electropneumatic regulator 27 and the pressure sensor 28.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the mass flow controller 1.
4 is a schematic structural diagram showing the inside of FIG. 4, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3 showing the flow sensor. The mass flow controller 14 is configured in a box formed by fitting a port block 52 to a body cover 51, and is provided on a flow path connecting an input port 53 and an output port 54 formed in the port block 52. A flow sensor 57 and a control valve 58 are provided. The flow sensor 57 and the control valve 58 are connected to the port block 52.
And a connection block 56 having a return flow path 55, and the flow paths are connected so that the ports 53 and 54 communicate with the return flow path 55, respectively.

The flow sensor 57 includes a bypass flow path 60 in a main flow path 59 communicating with the input port 53 and the return flow path 55.
Is formed, and a measurement unit 61 for measuring a gas flow rate is provided in the bypass flow path 60. Measuring unit 61
Is composed of a heat-sensitive coil wound with a heat-sensitive resistance wire. On the other hand, a laminar flow member 62 for inserting a gas flow into a laminar flow state is inserted in the main flow path 59. On the other hand, the control valve 58 is
, A flow path 64 is formed, and a valve seat 65 is formed on an extension of the flow path 64. Then, the movable iron core 66 is urged against the valve seat 65 by the elastic force of the leaf spring 67, and the valve body 68 fixed to the bottom surface of the movable iron core 66 is moved to the valve seat 65.
Is in contact with Such a mass flow controller 14
In the body cover 51, a control board 50 having a circuit for transmitting and receiving a measurement signal sent from the flow sensor 57 and for controlling the drive of the control valve 58 is provided.

Therefore, in the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment, the process gas is supplied as follows. The process gas sent to the gas supply unit 1 has impurities removed by the in-line filter 16 of the input port 17 and flows to the regulator 13 through the input flow path 21. When the pilot pressure is not applied to the diaphragm 31, the regulator 13 pulls the valve body 37 upward by the urging force of the spring 39, and the valve seat body 3
6 to block the flow path. On the other hand, when the diaphragm 31 is pressurized from above by the air supplied into the pressurizing chamber 42 and bends downward against the urging force of the spring 39, the valve body 37 is separated from the valve seat body 36 thereby. The blocked flow path communicates.

Therefore, the input port 3 of the regulator 13
The process gas entering from 3 flows from the output port 34 to the mass flow controller 14 through the pressure regulating chamber 32. At this time, the process gas is adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the regulator 13. On the other hand, the purge port 35
The process gas flowing in the direction of
And it is stopped by the check valve 11 and does not flow any more in the same direction. The process gas flowing from the regulator 13 to the mass flow controller 14 is adjusted in flow there, passes through the opened gas supply valve 15, and passes through the output port 18.
To the chamber.

The pressure of the process gas flowing through the gas supply unit 1 is adjusted by the regulator 13 and the flow rate of the process gas is adjusted by the mass flow controller 14, and the process gas is supplied to the chamber in a stable state. The pressure and flow rate adjustment control is performed by the controller 20A dedicated to the gas supply unit 1. Controller 20A
, A pressure / flow rate set value is input from the main controller, and the regulator 13 and the mass flow controller 14 of the gas supply unit 1 are controlled based on the set values.

To control the regulator 13, a pressure setting signal based on a predetermined pressure set value is input from the controller 20 A to the electropneumatic regulator 27, while the electropneumatic regulator 27 controls the regulator 1.
The pilot pressure of the air supplied to 3 is measured by the pressure sensor 28, and the measured pressure signal is sent back to the controller 20A. In the regulator 13, the diaphragm 3
1 is bent downward by the pilot pressure of the pressurizing chamber 42 side,
The valve body 37 descends, and the cutoff of the flow path is released. As a result, the process gas flowing from the input port 33 flows through the pressure regulating chamber 32 to the output port 34 to the secondary side. At this time, the process gas flowing from the input port 33 to the pressure regulating chamber 32 operates on the diaphragm at a pressure corresponding to the pilot pressure in the pressurizing chamber 40, and the cross section of the flow path by the valve body 36 is moved to the secondary side. The pressure and the pilot pressure are adjusted so as to be balanced.

Therefore, since the gas pressure of the process gas flowing to the secondary side can be converted from the pilot pressure measured by the pressure sensor 28, the controller 20A operates the electropneumatic regulator 27 according to the measured pressure signal from the pressure sensor 28. Is controlled, the regulator 13 is controlled so that the pressure of the process gas becomes a set value.
The process gas that has been pressure-adjusted in this way and has flowed to the mass flow controller 14 enters through the input port 53 and passes through the flow sensor 57 (see FIG. 4). At that time, a part of the process gas passes through the bypass flow path 60, where the measuring unit 61
Measures the flow rate.

The measured value is sent as a measured flow signal from the flow sensor 57 to the controller 20A via the control board 50, and the control valve 50 receives the flow adjustment signal from the controller 20A to control the control valve 58. Drive controlled. Control valve 58
The lower core is excited by a magnetic field generated by energizing the coil 63, and the movable core 66 attracted by the lower core rises against the elastic force of the leaf spring 67. Therefore, the valve element 68
Is separated from the valve seat 65, and a predetermined amount of process gas flows through the output port 54 to the secondary side depending on the valve opening. Therefore, the process gas whose pressure and flow rate have been adjusted by the regulator 13 and the mass flow controller 14 is supplied to the chamber.

Next, at the stage of purging after supplying the process gas, the diaphragm 31 of the regulator 13 is turned on.
Is released, the valve body 36 pulled up by the spring 38 comes into contact with the valve seat body 35, and the space between the pressure regulation chamber 32 and the input port 33 is shut off. Then, the purge gas supplied from the check valve 11 side flows to the regulator 13 through the opened purge valve 12.
The purge gas flows from the purge port 35 of the regulator 13 (see FIG. 2) to the output port 34 through the pressure regulation chamber 32, passes through the mass flow controller 14 in which the control valve 58 is fully opened, and passes from the gas supply valve 15 to the inside of the chamber. Is discharged to

Therefore, the process gas filled in the secondary side flow path of the regulator 13 is discharged into the chamber by purging with such a purge gas or evacuating as the chamber is cleaned, and is purged. In this embodiment, the method of purging the process gas, which has been conventionally sent to the exhaust processing device on a separate line, together with the cleaning process in the chamber is employed.

Therefore, according to the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment, the gas supply unit 1 is a monostick type in which the minimum required modules (eg, the regulator 13) are mounted on one base block 10. Therefore, the gas supply unit 1 is extremely lightweight and compact. It became something. Therefore, it is possible to dispose it near the chamber whose installation area is limited, and in particular, it is possible to attach the chamber to the back of the furnace body. This has a great effect of improving workability, which is not only compact but also lightweight so that an operator can easily remove it. Further, since the process gas can be disposed in the vicinity of the chamber, the process gas can be routed within the pipe shortly, and the process gas can be stably supplied to the chamber. The fact that the chamber can be attached to the backside of the furnace body makes it possible to minimize the piping, especially since the port is provided on the backside, and the effect is great.

Modules (eg, regulator 13)
As the number of seals was significantly reduced with the decrease in the number of pieces, reliability against gas leakage was improved. According to the gas supply unit 1 of the present embodiment, the flow path in front of the mass flow controller 14 is shortened, the volume is extremely reduced, and the purge time can be shortened. This is because the gas to be evacuated is throttled by the mass flow controller 14, and the effect of the decrease in the primary volume of the mass flow controller 14 is significant. Further, in the case of the gas supply unit 1, since the process gas to be processed is also exhausted to the chamber, the fact that the gas supply unit 1 can be arranged near the chamber also contributes to shortening of the purge time.

The gas supply unit 1 is connected to a pressure sensor and a shutoff valve by a regulator 13 having a shutoff function.
The module can be eliminated, which greatly contributes to downsizing. In addition, this regulator 1
Since the purge port 35 is formed in the purge valve 3, the regulator 13 can be disposed on the secondary side of the purge valve 12, so that the purge gas passes through the regulator 13 and the process gas can be purged with little stagnation. Became.

Further, in the gas supply unit 1 of the present embodiment,
Since the dedicated controller 20A is provided, it is possible to supply the process gas in an optimum state according to the predetermined pressure and flow rate set values. Conventionally, such pressure and flow control has been performed by a main controller of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body. That is, the main controller is in a state of collectively managing many gas supply units constituting the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. However, when a plurality of identical gas supply units 1 are manufactured, each unit has individuality due to tolerance. That is, even if the respective gas supply units 1 are controlled in the same manner, a slight change in pressure or change in flow rate may occur due to a tolerance of the valve unit or the like. In the present embodiment, the dedicated controller 20A performs delicate control according to the individuality of each gas supply unit 1 to assure a stable supply of process gas according to the set pressure and set flow rate for each unit. Now you can do it. Further, if control data at the time of supply of the process gas is stored in the controller 20A, when a problem occurs, the problem can be verified based on the data.

Incidentally, the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment is one of variations used in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and can be a unit of a different embodiment by changing the module. Therefore, a different variation of the gas supply unit will be described below. The same components as those of the gas supply unit 1 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

First, FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a second embodiment of the gas supply unit replacement system. The gas supply unit 2 of the present embodiment has a sensor pack 70 replaced instead of the mass flow controller 14 of the gas supply unit 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, modules other than the mass flow controller 14, that is, the check valve 11, the purge valve 12, the regulator 13, and the gas supply valve 15 are the same. FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view showing the inside of the replaced sensor pack 70. The sensor pack 70 combines a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor into a single module, and its external dimensions are made to match the mass flow controller 14.

The sensor pack 70 is formed in a box body formed by fitting a port block 72 to a body cover 71, and a flow connecting an input port 73 and an output port 74 formed in the port block 72. A temperature sensor 75 and a pressure sensor 76 are provided on the road. The temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 are connected to the port block 72.
And the connection block 78 in which the return channel 77 is formed. Since the temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 are formed in the same form, they will be described together with reference to FIG. 7 which shows the forms of the BB section and the CC section of FIG. That is, the temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 are sensor chips 81 and 82 for measuring pressure or temperature, respectively.
Are provided in the branch flow paths in the middle of the connection flow paths 79 and 80 connecting the ports 73 and 74 and the return flow path 77. Further, in the sensor pack 70, a control board 83 having a circuit for transmitting and receiving measurement signals sent from the temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 is provided in the body cover 71.

The sensor pack 70 is designed such that the positions of the input port 73 and the output port 74 match those of the mass flow controller 14. That is, the port blocks 52 and 72 are made of the same material. Therefore, the input port 73 is connected to the V-shaped flow path 24 on the secondary side of the regulator 13, and the output port 74 is connected to the V-shaped flow path 25 on the primary side of the gas supply valve 15. Also, in this gas supply unit 2, unlike the other connection part in which a ring-shaped gasket is mounted at the connection part between the output port 74 and the V-shaped channel 25, the gasket 85 for adjusting the flow rate is provided.
Is loaded. The flow rate adjusting gasket 78 is a gasket having a central hole formed as an orifice having a diameter of 1 mm or less.

By the way, in the fluid in the sonic range, the flow rate of the fluid passing through a predetermined flow path cross section becomes constant depending on the pressure and temperature conditions on the primary side. Therefore, if the temperature and pressure of the process gas are set to certain values, the flow rate of the process gas can be determined from the orifice diameter of the gasket 78 for adjusting the flow rate. Therefore, in the gas supply unit 2, the flow rate adjusting gasket 78 determined in this way is mounted, and conversely, the pressure is adjusted. Therefore, the sensor pack 70
Has the temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 as described above, and is connected to the controller 20B.

On the other hand, an electro-pneumatic regulator 86 is piped to the regulator 13 of the gas supply unit 2, and the electro-pneumatic regulator 86 is connected to the controller 20B. Therefore, the gas supply unit 2 is
Only the pressure adjustment is performed, and control for obtaining a predetermined flow rate is performed by the pressure adjustment based on the relationship with other temperatures and the flow path cross section. Although the temperature is not adjusted in this embodiment, a rubber heater may be attached to the gas supply unit 2 and the temperature of the heater may be controlled by the controller 20B.

Therefore, in the gas supply unit 2 of the present embodiment, the process gas is supplied as follows. The process gas sent to the gas supply unit 2 (see FIG. 5) is subjected to removal of impurities by the in-line filter 16 of the input port 17 as in the case of the first embodiment, and passes through the input flow path 21 to the regulator 13. Flows. In the regulator 13, the pilot pressure is adjusted by the operation of the electropneumatic regulator 86, and the flow path is cut off or communicated. Then, the process gas flows to the sensor pack 70 through the regulator 13 with the valve open, and the purge gas 12 is closed.
It does not flow in the same direction by the check valve 11.

The process gas flowing to the sensor pack 70 (see FIG. 6) flows from the input port 73 to the output port 74 through the return channel 77. Therefore, the temperature and the pressure are measured by the temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 on the way. That is, the connection flow path 7 of the sensors 75 and 76
The temperature and pressure of the process gas in the components 9 and 80 (see FIG. 7) are measured by the sensor chips 81 and 82 provided in the intermediate branch flow path. Then, the sensor chips 81, 8
The measured temperature signal and the measured pressure signal from 2 are transmitted to the controller 20B via the control board 83 having received the signals.

Controller 20B receiving the measurement signal
Stores a flow rate set value input from a main controller (not shown), and controls the regulator 13 based on the set value. That is, in the gas supply unit 2,
Flow rate set value from main controller and sensor pack 7
The flow rate adjustment control is performed by the controller 20B based on the measurement signal from 0. So, controller 2
A predetermined pressure setting signal is input from 0B to the electropneumatic regulator 86, and a predetermined pilot pressure acts on the regulator 13 by driving the electropneumatic regulator 86. Thereby, the process gas is adjusted to a predetermined pressure in accordance with the orifice cross section and the temperature of the flow rate adjusting gasket 85, and the secondary flow rate of the flow rate adjusting gasket 85 is adjusted.
The process gas whose flow rate has been adjusted is supplied to the gas supply valve 1.
5 through the output port 18 to the chamber. The process of purging the process gas is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Therefore, according to the gas supply unit 2 of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, effects such as mounting of the chamber on the back of the furnace body by reducing the size and weight and improving reliability against gas leakage by reducing the number of sealing portions are exhibited. Further, the gas supply unit 2 includes a mass flow controller 1
4 is mounted on the sensor pack 70, a gasket 85 for adjusting the flow rate is attached, and the flow rate is adjusted only by operating the regulator 13. Therefore, the time (response time) until the actual flow rate of the supplied process gas stabilizes at the set flow rate value is much faster than when the flow rate is adjusted by the mass flow controller 14. Therefore, the productivity can be improved by shortening the cycle time in the process gas supply. Further, the sensor pack 70 can be provided at low cost, and the cost of the gas supply unit 2 itself can be reduced.

Incidentally, the gas supply unit 2 of the second embodiment
In this case, by adjusting the pilot pressure to the regulator 13, the flow path cross section, that is, the valve opening is adjusted in the regulator 13 so that the pilot pressure and the secondary pressure are balanced. However, even without such a pressure balance, the pressure can be adjusted by mechanically adjusting the valve opening. FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the gas supply unit replacement system. The gas supply unit 3 of the present embodiment is obtained by replacing the regulator 13 of the gas supply unit 2 of the second embodiment (see FIG. 5) with a pressure control valve 90.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the pressure control valve 90. The pressure control valve 90 has the same configuration as the purge valve 12 and the gas supply valve 15, but differs in that it has a purge port. The configuration of the pressure control valve 90 will be briefly described. The pressure control valve 90 is connected to the cylinder 9
1, an operation rod 93 penetrating the center thereof is fixed to the piston 92, and the diaphragm 94 is connected to the operation rod 93.
The lower end pressing block 95 is configured to be pressed against the valve seat 96. The piston 92 is constantly urged downward by a spring 97, while the pilot pressure is applied upward by air sent into a lower pressurizing chamber through a pilot passage 98 formed in the operation rod 93. It is configured as follows. In the port block 99, an input port 101, an output port 102, and a purge port 103 are formed. An electropneumatic regulator 105 is connected to the pressure control valve 90, and the electropneumatic regulator 105 is connected to the controller 20C.
Connected to.

Therefore, in the gas supply unit 3 of the present embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the pressure control valve 90 based on the temperature measurement value and the pressure measurement value of the sensor pack 70 is used.
Is controlled, and the flow rate is adjusted by adjusting the pressure. The controller 20C that has received the measurement signal from the sensor pack 70 stores the flow rate setting value input from the main controller (not shown), and controls the pressure control valve 90 based on the flow rate setting value.

Accordingly, a predetermined pressure setting signal is input from the controller 20C to the electropneumatic regulator 105, and the pressure control valve 90 is driven by the driving of the electropneumatic regulator 105.
Opens at a predetermined valve opening. That is, the electropneumatic regulator 1
The air sent by 05 acts on the lower side of the piston 92 through the pilot flow path 98, and the piston 92 and the operating rod 93 rise by a predetermined pilot pressure. Therefore, the diaphragm 94 is released from the pressing block 95, and the process gas entered from the input port 101 flows to the output port 102. At this time, by adjusting the pilot pressure, the valve opening of the diaphragm 94 according to the displacement of the piston 92 is adjusted, and the pressure of the process gas flowing to the secondary side is adjusted.

As a result, the process gas is adjusted to a predetermined pressure in accordance with the orifice cross section and temperature of the flow rate adjusting gasket 85, and the secondary flow rate of the flow rate adjusting gasket 85 is adjusted. Then, the process gas whose flow rate has been adjusted is supplied from the output port 18 to the chamber through the gas supply valve 15.

Therefore, the gas supply unit 3 of the present embodiment has the same effects as the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment. That is, effects such as mounting of the chamber on the back of the furnace body by reducing the size and weight and improving reliability against gas leakage by reducing the number of sealing portions are exhibited.
Further, the gas supply unit 3 of the present embodiment has a short time (response time) until the actual flow rate of the process gas stabilizes at the set flow rate value, similarly to the gas supply unit 2 of the second embodiment.
It has become possible to improve productivity. In addition to the inexpensiveness of the sensor pack 70, the pressure control valve 90, which is different from the regulator 13 only in the port block 99 and the purge valve 12, etc., is used, so that the modules can be shared, and the gas supply is improved. The cost of the unit 3 itself could be reduced.

Next, FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a fourth embodiment of the gas supply unit reloading system. The gas supply unit 4 of the present embodiment is obtained by replacing the mass flow controller 14 of the gas supply unit 1 shown in FIG. Therefore, modules other than the mass flow controller 14,
That is, the check valve 11, the purge valve 12, the regulator with function 13, and the gas supply valve 15 are the same as those of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram showing the inside of the sensor pack 110. Sensor pack 110 of the present embodiment
Is a module in which a pressure sensor and a flow rate sensor are combined into one module. That is, the flow sensor 57 (see FIG. 3) of the mass flow controller 14 described above,
This is a combination of the pressure sensor 76 of the sensor pack 70 (see FIG. 6).

The sensor pack 110 is mounted on the body cover 11.
1, a flow rate sensor 57 and a pressure sensor 76 are connected to an input port 113 or an output port 114.
And the return channel 115. As shown in FIG. 7, the pressure sensor 76 has a sensor chip 81 for measuring pressure provided in a branch flow path in the middle of the connection flow path 79.
As shown in FIG. 4, one flow rate sensor 57 has a bypass flow path 60 formed in a main flow path 59 containing a laminar flow member 62, and a heat-sensitive coil for measuring a gas flow rate is wound around the bypass flow path 60. The measuring unit 61 provided is provided. The sensor pack 110 includes a control board 116 having a circuit for transmitting and receiving measurement signals from the pressure sensor 76 and the flow rate sensor 57,
This sensor pack 110 is connected to the controller 20D.

Further, in the gas supply unit 3 of this embodiment, an electropneumatic regulator 117 is connected to the regulator 13, and an electropneumatic regulator 118 is connected to the gas supply valve 15. That is, in the present embodiment, the gas supply valve 15 used as a simple on-off valve in the first to third embodiments is made to function as a flow control valve for controlling the flow rate by adjusting the opening degree. However, the configuration of the gas supply valve 15 is not changed at all. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the “gas supply valve 15” will be described as the “flow control valve 15”. Further, electropneumatic regulators 117 and 118 for operating the regulator 13 and the flow control valve 15 are provided by the controller 2.
0D.

Therefore, in the gas supply unit 4 of this embodiment, the supply of the process gas is performed as follows. The process gas sent to the gas supply unit 2 (see FIG. 10) is subjected to removal of impurities by the in-line filter 16 of the input port 17 as in the case of the first embodiment, and passes through the input flow path 21 to the regulator 13. Flows. In the regulator 13, the pilot pressure is adjusted by the operation of the electropneumatic regulator 117, and the flow path is cut off or communicated. Then, the process gas flows to the sensor pack 110 through the regulator 13 whose valve is open, and does not flow in the same direction by the purge valve 12 or the check valve 11 which is closed.

The process gas flowing to the sensor pack 110 (see FIG. 11) flows from the input port 113 to the return flow path 1
15 to the output port 114. Therefore, the pressure and the flow rate are measured by the pressure sensor 76 and the flow rate sensor 57 on the way. That is, the pressure of the process gas in the connection channel 80 of the pressure sensor 76 (see FIG. 7) is measured by the sensor chip 82 provided in the branch channel in the middle. On the other hand, the flow rate of a part of the process gas passing through the bypass flow passage 60 of the flow sensor 57 (see FIG. 4) is measured by the measuring unit 61. The measured pressure signal and the measured flow rate signal are transmitted to the controller 20D via the control board 116 receiving the signals.

The controller 20D that has received the measurement signal stores the pressure / flow rate set values input from the main controller (not shown), and controls the regulator 13 and the flow control valve 15 based on the set values. Do.
That is, in the gas supply unit 4, pressure and flow rate adjustment control is performed by the controller 20D based on the pressure / flow rate set value from the main controller and the measurement signal from the sensor pack 110. Therefore, first, the control of the regulator 13 that performs pressure adjustment is performed by inputting a predetermined pressure setting signal from the controller 20D to the electropneumatic regulator 117,
The regulator 1 is driven by the driving of the electropneumatic regulator 117.
A predetermined pilot pressure acts on 3. Therefore, the process gas is adjusted to a predetermined pressure and flows to the sensor pack 110.

Next, the flow rate control valve 15 for controlling the flow rate is controlled by inputting a predetermined flow rate setting signal from the controller 20D to the electropneumatic regulator 118, and driving the electropneumatic regulator 118 to control the flow rate control valve 15 to a predetermined pilot pressure. Works. Therefore, the position of the piston of the flow control valve 15 is adjusted by the pilot pressure, whereby the opening degree of the valve is adjusted, that is, the flow rate of the process gas is adjusted. Therefore, the process gas is supplied to the gas supply unit 4.
The pressure and the flow rate are adjusted by the above, and supplied from the output port 18 to the chamber. The process of purging the process gas is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

According to the gas supply unit 4 of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, effects such as mounting of the chamber on the back of the furnace body by reducing the size and weight and improving reliability against gas leakage by reducing the number of sealing portions are exhibited. Further, the gas supply unit 4 of the present embodiment includes the mass flow controller 1
4 is replaced with the sensor pack 110, and the gas supply valve 15 is used as the flow control valve 15 for adjusting the flow rate. Therefore, the flow path cross-section of the valve for adjusting the flow rate is large, and the flow range is relatively large. Can be. Further, the sensor pack 110 can be provided at low cost, and the cost of the gas supply unit 4 itself can be reduced.

Incidentally, the gas supply unit 2 of the fourth embodiment
In the case of (1), the cross section of the flow path, that is, the valve opening is adjusted so that the pilot pressure and the secondary pressure are balanced in the regulator 13, but the valve opening is mechanically adjusted regardless of such pressure balance. Thus, the pressure can be adjusted. Therefore, similarly to the third embodiment, a gas supply unit in which a pressure control valve 90 (see FIG. 9) is replaced instead of the regulator 13 is used for the gas supply unit 4 of the fourth embodiment (see FIG. 10). Can be configured. Here, FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a fifth embodiment of the gas supply unit replacement system in which the replacement of the pressure control valve 90 has been performed.

Therefore, in the gas supply unit 5 of this embodiment, the sensor pack 110 is provided in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment.
The pressure and flow rate adjustment control is performed by adjusting the pressure based on the temperature measurement value and the pressure measurement value. Controller 20 receiving measurement signal from sensor pack 110
E stores a pressure / flow rate set value input from a main controller (not shown), and controls the pressure control valve 90 and the flow rate control valve 15 based on the set values. That is, pressure and flow rate adjustment control is performed based on the flow rate set value from the main controller and the measurement signal from the sensor pack 110.

A pressure setting signal and a flow rate setting signal are sent from the controller 20E to the electropneumatic regulators 121 and 122, and a predetermined pilot pressure is applied to the pressure control valve 90 and the flow rate control valve 15 by driving the electropneumatic regulators 121 and 122. Works. Therefore, the positions of the pistons of the pressure control valve 90 and the flow control valve 15 are adjusted by the pilot pressure, whereby the opening degree of the valves is adjusted, that is, the pressure and the flow rate of the process gas are adjusted. Then, the pressure and flow rate of the process gas are adjusted by the gas supply unit 5, and the process gas is supplied from the output port 18 to the chamber.

Therefore, according to the gas supply unit 5 of this embodiment, the same effects as those of the gas supply unit 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, effects such as mounting of the chamber on the back of the furnace body by reducing the size and weight and improving reliability against gas leakage by reducing the number of sealing portions are exhibited. In the gas supply unit 5 of the present embodiment, the mass flow controller 14 is replaced with the sensor pack 110 and the gas supply valve 15 is used as the flow control valve 15 for adjusting the flow rate. The road cross section is large, and the flow range can be relatively large. Further, in addition to the low cost of the sensor pack 110, the purge valve 12 and the like and the port block 9 are replaced with the regulator 13.
The cost of the gas supply unit 3 itself could be reduced by sharing the module with the pressure control valve 90 that differs only in nine parts.

As described above, in the gas supply unit replacement system of the present embodiment, as described with reference to the first to fifth embodiments as examples, various variations can be made by replacing modules on the same base block 10. Can be configured. Each of these gas supply units has the following features, for example. Since the gas supply unit 1 (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment measures and controls the actual flow rate by the mass flow controller 14, the flow rate can be adjusted with high accuracy. On the other hand, there is a problem that the response time until the actual flow rate is stabilized at the set flow rate is slow. For example, 5 to be stable
It takes several seconds such as six seconds. Therefore, the gas supply unit 1 is effective when the flow measurement accuracy is more important than the slight delay of the actual flow stabilization time.

The gas supply units 2 and 3 of the second and third embodiments (FIGS. 5 and 8) adjust the flow rate of the process gas flowing through the orifice only by adjusting the pressure. Fast response time until stable. For example, it stabilizes in about one second. On the other hand, since the flow rate is limited by the orifice, the flow rate range is reduced. Therefore, the gas supply units 2 and 3 do not need to secure a large flow rate, but are effective when it is necessary to increase the productivity by increasing the response time.

Further, the gas supply units 4 and 5 of the fourth and fifth embodiments (FIGS. 10 and 12) are provided with an on-off valve (flow control valve 1).
Since the flow rate is adjusted by using the method 5), the response time becomes longer, but the flow rate range can be made larger than that of the first to third embodiments. Therefore, the gas supply units 4 and 5 are more effective in securing a large flow rate than a slight delay in the actual flow rate stabilization time.

Therefore, according to the gas supply unit replacement system of the present embodiment,
If necessary, a gas supply unit having a configuration suitable for each characteristic can be selected. The gas supply unit of each variation can be configured simply by replacing the module mounted on the base block 10, so that the assembly is simplified, and all the units are mounted on the same base block 10. Therefore, there is no difference in dimensions when changing to a unit of a different variation, which is convenient for piping installation.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0071]

According to the present invention, a check valve, a purge valve, a regulator with a shut-off function, a gas supply valve, and either a mass flow controller or a sensor pack are mounted on a single base block having a flow path. Process gas supply unit, and its mass flow controller and sensor pack can be mounted and replaced on the same base block, so that it is a compact and lightweight process gas supply unit, It is possible to provide a process gas supply unit reloading system capable of reloading.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a first view of a process gas supply unit according to the present invention.
It is a side view of a partial section showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a regulator with a cutoff function.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram showing the inside of the mass flow controller 14;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3 showing the flow sensor 57;

FIG. 5 shows a second process gas supply unit according to the present invention.
It is a side view of a partial section showing an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural view showing the inside of a sensor pack 70.

7 is a cross-sectional view of the temperature sensor 75 and the pressure sensor 76 showing the forms of the BB cross section and the CC cross section of FIG.

FIG. 8 shows a third process gas supply unit according to the present invention.
It is a side view of a partial section showing an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a pressure control valve 90.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a fourth embodiment of the process gas supply unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram showing the inside of the sensor pack 110.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a fifth embodiment of the process gas supply unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a conventional process gas supply unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Process gas supply unit 10 Base block 11 Check valve 12 Purge valve 13 Regulator with shut-off function 14 Mass flow controller 15 Gas supply valve (flow control valve) 16 In-line filter 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D , 20E Controller 70 Sensor pack 90 Pressure control valve 110 Sensor pack

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Shinichi Nitta 3-6-3 Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo CKK2 Co., Ltd. CKD2 Building (72) Inventor Yuji Matsuoka 850 Horinouchicho, Kasugai-shi, Aichi Prefecture Address Kasugai Office, C.C. Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Minoru Ito 3-6-3, Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F.C. CC01 CC11 EE24 EE27 FF11 5F004 AA16 BC03 5F045 EC07 EE01 EE04 EE05 EE17

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A process gas supply in which one of a check valve, a purge valve, a regulator with a shut-off function, a gas supply valve, and a mass flow controller or a sensor pack is mounted on one base block having a flow path. A process gas supply unit replacement system, wherein the mass flow controller and the sensor pack can be replaced on the same base block. 2. One of a check valve, a purge valve, a gas supply valve, a regulator with a shut-off function or a pressure control valve, and one of a mass flow controller or a sensor pack is connected to one A process gas supply unit mounted on a base block, wherein the regulator with a shut-off function and a pressure control valve, and the mass flow controller and a sensor pack are replaceable on the same base block. Supply unit replacement system. 3. The process gas supply unit reloading system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor pack has a built-in temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, or has a built-in pressure sensor and a flow sensor. A process gas supply unit replacement system, characterized in that: 4. The reloading system for a process gas supply unit according to claim 3, wherein the sensor pack has a built-in temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, and a flow path with the base block on the secondary side of the sensor pack. A process gas supply unit reloading system, wherein a flow rate adjusting gasket having an orifice is loaded in a connection portion.