Slit valve assembly having a spacer for maintaining a gap

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113651-B2
Application number	US-201615257329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2016
Priority date	Dec 7, 2012
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

A spacer for maintaining a gap between a slit valve door and a sealing surface of a slit valve body. The spacer may be located on an outer ambient side of the slit valve away from any corrosive gasses that may exist in the chamber. The spacer may be attached to the slit valve door partially in a depression therein, and may be integral with the seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A slit valve assembly comprising:
a slit valve body having a slit valve opening and a facing surface surrounding the slit valve opening;
a slit valve door for use in a slit valve assembly moveable between open and closed positions to respectively permit and block flow through the slit valve opening, the slit valve door having a facing surface for sealing against the facing surface of the slit valve body;
an actuation device that effectuates movement of the slit valve door;
an annular seal disposed in a first groove in one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door, and interposed between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door to effectuate the sealing; and
a spacer interposed between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door for maintaining a minimum gap between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door when the door is in a closed position;
wherein the spacer is formed integral with the annular seal, extending radially outward therefrom and disposed at least partially in a second groove in said one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door; and
wherein the annular seal is made of a first material and the spacer is made of second material having relatively less elasticity than the first material; and
wherein the first and second grooves are radially separated by a land having a radially inner side surface forming a radially outer side of the first groove and a radially outer side surface forming a radially inner side of the second groove, and wherein the land has a relatively planar surface between the radially inner side surface and the radially outer side surface.

2. The slit valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door are multi-plane facing surfaces wherein the multi-plane facing surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the flow through the slit valve opening, and the actuation device effectuates movement of the slit valve door along an axis of movement substantially perpendicular to the flow through the slit valve opening.

3. The slit valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein an area of the slit valve door opposite the slit valve opening when the slit valve door is in the closed position is recessed.

4. The slit valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the facing surface of the slit valve body surrounding the valve opening is a surface of a slit valve insert removably coupled to the slit valve body.

5. The slit valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the slit valve door is moveable along an axis for opening and closing the opening of the slit valve body, the annular seal resides in a plane oriented non-orthogonally to the axis, and the spacer is located transaxially outward from a relatively adjacent part of the annular seal and resides in one or more planes oriented substantially perpendicular to the axis.

6. The slit valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second groove has a depth shallower than that of the first groove.

7. The slit valve assembly of claim 6 , wherein said one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door has planar portions disposed inwardly and outwardly adjacent the annular seal and spacer, and the land is recessed relative to the planar portions.

8. The slit valve assembly of claim 7 , wherein the planar portions are coplanar.

9. The slit valve assembly of claim 1 , wherein the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door form interiorly of the annular seal a labyrinth between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door for increasing a path length of plasma particles.

10. The slit valve assembly of claim 9 , wherein the labyrinth comprises at least one groove on at least one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door and a mating tongue with substantially complimentary geometry to the at least one groove, wherein the mating tongue fits inside the at least one groove when the slit valve door is in the closed position.

11. The slit valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the mating tongue and at least one groove are not in contact with each other during operation of the slit valve assembly.

12. The slit valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the mating tongue and the at least one groove have substantially rectangular cross-sections.

13. The slit valve assembly of claim 10 , wherein the mating tongue is removably coupled to a groove on at least one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door.

14. A slit valve assembly comprising:
a slit valve body having a slit valve opening and a facing surface surrounding the slit valve opening;
a slit valve door for use in a slit valve assembly moveable between open and closed positions to respectively permit and block flow through the slit valve opening, the slit valve door having a facing surface for sealing against the facing surface of the slit valve body;
an actuation device that effectuates movement of the slit valve door;
an annular seal disposed in a first groove in one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door, and interposed between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door to effectuate the sealing; and
a spacer interposed between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door for maintaining a minimum gap between the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door when the door is in a closed position;
wherein the spacer is formed integral with the annular seal, extending radially outward therefrom and disposed at least partially in a second groove in said one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door;
wherein the first groove is formed in a planar surface portion of said one of the facing surface of the slit valve body and the facing surface of the slit valve door, and the first groove at a side thereof opposite the second groove is defined by a wall surface that extends to the planar surface portion; and
wherein the first and second grooves are radially separated by a land having a radially inner side surface forming a radially outer side of the first groove and a radially outer side surface forming a radially inner side of the second groove, and wherein the and has a relatively planar surface between the radially inner side surface and the radially outer side surface.

15. The slit valve assembly of claim 14 , wherein the land is recessed relative to the planar surface portion.

16. The slit valve assembly of claim 15 , wherein the second groove has a depth shallower than that of the first groove.

17. A slit valve assembly comprising:
a slit valve body having a slit valve opening and a facing surface surrounding the slit valve opening;
a slit valve door for use in a slit valve assembly moveable between open and closed positions to respectively permit and block flow through the slit valve opening, the slit valve door having a facing surface for sealing against the facing surface of the slit valve body;
an actuation device that effectuates movement of the slit valve door;
an annular seal disposed in a first groove in one of the facing surfac

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp

Inventors

• Coppola Stephen
• Kamibayashiyama Julian

Classifications

• F16K1/465

  to the valve seats · CPC title

• F16K3/16

  with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together (F16K3/10, F16K3/14 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16K51/02 Primary

  specially adapted for high-vacuum installations · CPC title

• F16K1/44

  Details of seats or valve members of double-seat valves · CPC title

• F16K3/0281

  Guillotine or blade-type valves, e.g. no passage through the valve member · CPC title