Vat Holding Ag

Adrian Eschenmoser

Andreas Hofer

Christoph Böhm

Michael Dür

Michael Zickar

Marco Apolloni

Rico Rohner

Alejandro Marzinotto

Frantisek Balon

Kyle Axle Elford

Andre Gahler

Disclosed is a pin lifting device is designed for moving and positioning a substrate to be processed in a vacuum process chamber. The pin lifting device includes a coupling part having a coupling adapted to receive a support pin designed to contact and support the substrate, and further comprises a drive part having a drive unit adapted to cooperate with the coupling such that the coupling is linearly adjustable along an adjustment axis from a lowered normal position to an extended support position and back. The pin lifting device has at least one temperature sensor, where the temperature sensor is designed and arranged such that a measurement signal representing thermal information with respect to at least part of the pin lifting device can be generated by means of the temperature sensor.

Pin lifting device having a temperature sensor

Method for monitoring a state of a pin lifter device (), wherein the pin lifter device () is designed for moving and positioning a substrate in a process atmosphere region (P). The pin lifter device () has a coupling () and a drive unit () having an electric motor, which is designed and interacts with the coupling () in such a way that the coupling () is adjustable from a lowered normal position into an individual active position and back. The method for monitoring includes progressively receiving a present item of motor current information with respect to a motor current applied to the electric motor, comparing the present motor current information to an item of target current information, and deriving an item of state information based on the comparison.

Method for monitoring, determining the position of, and positioning a pin-lifting system

Vacuum adjustment device for an active element movable in a process atmosphere region, having a coupling, a drive unit having an electric motor, which cooperates with the coupling in such a way that the coupling can be adjusted from a normal position into an active position and back. The device has a mechanical interface for connecting the vacuum adjustment device to a process volume providing a process atmosphere, a dynamic separating device for separating the process atmosphere from an outer atmosphere region and a control and processing unit at least electrically connected to the drive unit and designed to control the electric motor. The control and processing unit is designed to derive motor state information based on the extent of a motor operating parameter, and has a pressure determination functionality designed in such a way that a load difference is derived by comparing the motor state information with a known motor target state, and a pressure difference between the outer atmosphere region and the process atmosphere region is derived on the basis of the load difference.

Adjustment device for a vacuum area with pressure measuring functionality

Disclosed is a pin lifting device which includes a housing extending along an adjustment axis, a housing end at a first end region of the housing and has a housing opening, a drive part arranged at a second end region of the housing, an adjusting device having a part which can move in the housing in the direction of the adjustment axis, a guide section for the adjusting device formed on the inside of the housing between a first stop at the frontal housing end and a second stop remote therefrom, a tight connecting device formed inside the housing between the frontal housing end and the adjusting device, and a connecting channel extending from the first stop to the second stop at the guide section. A contiguous second inner region leads to minimal changes in the volume of the second inner region even during movements of the movable part.

Pin lifting device

A pin lifting device is disclosed and configured for moving and positioning a substrate to be processed in an atmosphere region provided by a vacuum process chamber. The pin lifting device includes a coupling part having a coupling adapted to receive a support pin adapted to contact and support the substrate, and a drive part having a drive unit adapted to cooperate with the coupling by means of an adjusting member such that the coupling is controllably adjustable from a lowered normal position to an extended support position and back. The pin lifting device also has an insulating component located between the drive part and the coupling part and providing complete galvanic isolation between the drive part and the coupling part.

Electrically isolated pin-lifter

Disclosed is a vacuum valve having a valve closure and having a drive unit which is coupled to the valve closure and which has at least one adjustment element. The vacuum valve furthermore has a position sensor, in particular a travel or distance sensor, such that a position of the valve closure and/or of the at least one adjustment element relative to a zero position, in particular an open position or closed position of the vacuum valve, can be measured.

Vacuum valve with position sensor

Disclosed is a vacuum valve having at least one acoustic sensor, the acoustic sensor being designed such that information can be generated by the acoustic sensor via a structure-borne sound wave, as a measuring signal, impacting on at least one component of the vacuum valve.

Vacuum valve with acoustic sensor

Disclosed is a vacuum valve including a valve closure and a preferably pneumatic or electro-pneumatic drive unit having a pressure medium, said drive unit being coupled to the valve closure. The vacuum valve also has a pressure sensor such that a pressure of the pressure medium can be measured.

Vacuum valve having a pressure sensor

Disclosed is a vacuum valve with a sensor arrangement having at least one inertial sensor, where the sensor arrangement is designed in such a way it detects a measuring signal with respect to an acceleration impacting on the valve.

Vacuum valve with inertial sensor

Disclosed is a vacuum valve having a valve seat, which has a valve opening, defining an opening axis, and a first sealing surface, a valve closure having a second sealing surface corresponding to the first sealing surface, a drive unit coupled to the valve closure, which can be moved from an open position, in which the valve closure and the valve seat do not contact each other, to a closed position, in which there is a sealing contact between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface by a seal there between, and the valve opening is sealed gastight as a result. The vacuum valve has at least one temperature sensor, where the temperature sensor is designed and arranged such that, from the temperature sensor, a measurement signal representing thermal information in respect of at least one part of the vacuum valve can be detected.

Vacuum valve having temperature sensor

The invention relates to a vacuum valve comprising a sensor assembly with at least one force sensor which has a deformation-sensitive element. The sensor assembly is designed such that a measurement signal relating to a compression of the seal (TO) which lies between a first and a second seal surface, said compression being produced by the first and the second seal surface, is detected by means of the sensor assembly.

Vacuum valve comprising a force sensor

A pneumatic valve drive () for a valve (), in particular for a vacuum valve, which has at least one pneumatic cylinder () with at least one piston () that is movably mounted in the pneumatic cylinder () and at least two cylinder cavities () arranged on opposite sides of the piston (). Each cylinder cavity () is connected to at least one pressure source for applying pressure to each cylinder cavity (). One of the pressure sources is a constant pressure source () for applying a constant pressure to the cylinder cavity () arranged on one of the sides of the piston, and one of the other pressure sources is a regulated pressure source () for applying a variably regulatable pressure to the cylinder cavity () arranged on the opposite side of the piston ().

Pneumatic valve drive

A vacuum valve system having a valve seat and a valve closure for closing the valve opening. At least two sealing faces are provided, a first sealing face is the valve seat around the valve opening, and a second sealing face is the valve closure. A drive unit coupled to the valve closure designed so that the valve closure can be adjusted to provide respective valve opening states and is movable from an open position to a closed position, in which the second sealing face is pressed in the direction of the first sealing face and the valve opening in a gastight manner. The vacuum valve system has an optical sensor unit, designed to detect an optical measurement signal and an optical detection axis of the optical sensor unit oriented so that the measurement signal can be detected, and can be produced in a test position.

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Grabs, Switzerland

Adrian Eschenmoser