Fujikin Inc.

Tokyo Electron Limited

Tohoku University

Toshihide Yoshida

Tsutomu Shinohara

Takashi Hirose

Kouji Nishino

Nobukazu Ikeda

Ryousuke Dohi

Masahiko Takimoto

Kaoru Hirata

Tomohiro Nakata

Katsuyuki Sugita

Masaaki Nagase

Kenta Kondo

Hisashi Tanaka

Tomokazu Imai

Michio Yamaji

Kohei Shigyou

Kazuyuki Miura

Tsuyoshi Shimazu

Shoichi Hino

Masahito Saito

Tadahiro Ohmi

Hidenobu Sato

Yukio Minami

Wataru Okase

Shuji Moriya

Hiroshi Ogawa

Toshiyuki Inada

Takashi Funakoshi

Yasuyuki Omata

Yasutaka Hayashi

Atsushi Matsumoto

Ryutaro Tanno

Kenji Aikawa

Yuya Suzuki

Masahiko Nakazawa

Takeru Miura

Tomoko Yuhara

Daihi Tsuchiguchi

A fluid control devicecomprises a valve device Vincluding actuatorsandfor opening and closing a flow path and adjusting a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the flow path, a pressure sensor PT provided upstream of the valve device V, and a control circuitconnected to the valve device Vand the pressure sensor PT, and the control circuitcontrols an operation of the actuator based on a pressure measured by the pressure sensor PT and a reference pressure drop curve, while the upstream side of the fluid control device is closed and the valve device is opened using the actuators.

Fluid control device, fluid supply system, and fluid supply method

A valve device capable of precisely adjusting a flow rate includes: an operating member for operating a diaphragm and provided movably between a closed position at which diaphragm closes a flow path and an open position at which diaphragm opens the flow path; a main actuator that receives pressure from a supplied drive fluid and moves the operating member to the open position or the closed position; an adjusting actuator for adjusting the position of the operating member positioned in the open position by using a passive element which expands and contracts in response to a given input signal; a position detecting mechanism for detecting the position of the operating member with respect to a valve body; and an origin position determining unit that uses a valve closed state in which the diaphragm contacts to valve seat to determine an origin position of the position detecting mechanism.

Valve device, flow rate control method, fluid control device, semiconductor manufacturing method, and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using the valve device

A fluid supply device and a fluid supply method capable of stably supplying a supercritical fluid includes a fluid supply device for supplying a fluid in a liquid state before being changed to a supercritical fluid toward a processing chamber. The fluid supply device comprises a condenser that condenses and liquefies a fluid in a gas state, a tank that stores the fluid condensed and liquefied by the condenser, a pump that pressure-feeds the liquefied fluid stored in the tank toward the processing chamber, and a heating means provided to a flow path communicating with a discharge side of the pump and for partially changing the liquid in the flow path to a supercritical fluid.

Fluid supply device and fluid supply method

A valve device is capable of precisely adjusting a flow rate variation with time, aging, or the like without using an external sensor or using as few external sensors as possible. The apparatus includes an adjusting actuator for adjusting the position of the operating member positioned at the open position, a communication unit for receiving adjustment information relating to the adjustment of the opening degree of the flow path by the valve element from the outside of the apparatus, and a control unit for adjusting the position of the operating member by driving the adjusting actuator based on the adjustment information.

Valve device, adjustment information generating method, flow rate adjusting method, fluid control system, flow rate control method, semiconductor manufacturing system and semiconductor manufacturing method

A valve device is capable of precisely adjusting a flow rate variation due to aging, aging, etc. without using an external sensor. An adjusting actuator includes a piezoelectric element for adjusting the position of the operating member positioned at the open position, and the drive circuit of the adjusting actuator includes a detecting unit for detecting an electric signal related to the amount of strain generated in the piezoelectric element, and a control unit for controlling the adjusting actuator so that the opening degree of the flow path by the valve element becomes the target opening degree based on the electric signal related to the amount of strain of the piezoelectric element.

Valve apparatus, flow rate adjusting method, fluid control apparatus, flow rate control method, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and semiconductor manufacturing method

A fluid supply device includes a condenser, a tank that stores the fluid, a pump that pressure-feeds the fluid toward a processing chamber, a main pipe connecting the tank and the pump and transferring the liquid stored in the tank to the pump using a weight of the liquid, and a discharging pipe that is connected to the main pipe at a lowest position of the main pipe at one end, is opened to the atmosphere at the other end, and vaporizes and discharges the liquid in the tank and the main pipe to the outside. The discharging pipe is formed so that, after the liquid in the tank and the main pipe is fully discharged, a liquid pool that separates a space on the atmosphere side and a space on the main pipe side of the discharging pipe is temporarily produced in the discharging pipe.

Fluid supply device and liquid discharge method of this device

Provided is a valve device which can precisely adjust the flow rate while ensuring the flow rate of the fluid. A valve device includes a main actuator which receives a pressure of a supplied drive fluid and moves an operating member to an open position or closed position; an adjusting actuator arranged to receive at least a part of a force generated by the main actuator and for adjusting the position of the operating member positioned at the open position; and a pressure regulator provided in a feed path of the drive fluid to the main actuator and for regulating the pressure of the supplied drive fluid to suppress fluctuation of the pressure of the drive fluid supplied to the main actuator.

Valve device

A control device for a valve device can detect open/close state of the valve device without using limit switches. The valve device includes a diaphragm for opening and closing a flow path for flowing a fluid, a coil spring for biasing the diaphragm in the closing direction of flow path, a main actuator for driving it against the biasing force of the coil spring, and an adjusting actuator using a piezoelectric element for adjusting the opening degree of the flow path determined by the diaphragm. The controller detects the open/close state of flow path based on the voltage generated by the piezoelectric element of the adjusting actuator, and controls valve device using the detection signal.

Valve device, its control device, control methods using the same, fluid control device and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

A valve device that greatly reduces man-hours for flow adjustment includes a valve body that defines a flow path, a valve element provided so as to be capable of opening and closing the flow path of the valve body, an operation member that operates the valve element and is moveably provided between a closed position where the valve element closes the flow path and an open position where the valve element opens the flow path, set in advance, in opening and closing directions that allow the valve element to open and close the flow path, a main actuator that moves the operation member in the opening direction, and a piezoelectric actuator for adjusting a position of the operation member positioned in the open position.

Valve device, flow control method using the same, and semiconductor manufacturing method

A valve device includes a valve body that defines flow paths, a diaphragm provided so as to be capable of opening and closing the flow paths, an operation member provided so as to be capable of moving in opening and closing directions that open and close the flow paths by operating the diaphragm, a main actuator that applies a driving force corresponding to an operating pressure applied in the opening direction or the closing direction of the opening and closing directions with respect to the operation member, a switching mechanism capable of selectively switching a position of the operation member that regulates a degree of opening of the flow paths between a first open position and a second open position in accordance with a magnitude of the operating pressure, and regulating mechanisms capable of independently regulating the first open position and the second open position.

A pressure-type flow rate controller includes a body provided with a fluid passage which communicates a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a control valve for pressure control fixed to the body to open and close the fluid passage, an orifice arranged in the course of the fluid passage on the downstream side of the control valve, and a pressure sensor fixed to the body to detect the internal pressure of the fluid passage between the control valve and the orifice, wherein the fluid passage comprises a first passage portion communicating the control valve and a pressure detection chamber provided on a pressure detection surface of the pressure sensor, and a second passage portion spaced away from the first passage portion and communicating the pressure detection chamber and the orifice.

Pressure-type flow rate control device

A pressure type flow rate control apparatus is provided wherein flow rate of fluid passing through an orifice is computed as Qc=KP(where K is a proportionality constant) or as Qc=KP(P-P)(where K is a proportionality constant, m and n constants) by using orifice upstream side pressure Pand/or orifice downstream side pressure P. A fluid passage between the downstream side of a control valve and a fluid supply pipe of the pressure type flow rate control apparatus comprises at least 2 fluid passages in parallel, and orifices having different flow rate characteristics are provided for each of these fluid passages, wherein fluid in a small flow quantity area flows to one orifice for flow control of fluid in the small flow quantity area, while fluid in a large flow quantity area flows to the other orifice for flow control of fluid in the large flow quantity area.

Flow rate range variable type flow rate control apparatus

A flow control valve for a flow controller includes a valve main body provided with an open-top valve chamber hole, a metal diaphragm valve element, a lower support cylinder having notches facing each other, an upper support cylinder attached to the lower support cylinder, a support frame horizontally disposed through the notches of the lower support cylinder, a disc spring placed between the support frame and a bottom of the lower support cylinder, a lower cradle placed on the support frame, a piezoelectric element inserted into the support cylinder above the lower cradle, a guide fixed to the valve main body together with the support frame with the support cylinder being inserted through the guide cylinder in a vertically movable manner. The support cylinder is pressed upward by the extension of the piezoelectric element, whereby the metal diaphragm valve element is separated from the valve seat by the elastic force.

Flow control valve for flow controller

A pressure type flow rate control apparatus is provided wherein flow rate of fluid passing through an orifice is computed as Qc=KP(where K is a proportionality constant) or as Qc=KP(P&#x2212;P)(where K is a proportionality constant, m and n constants) by using orifice upstream side pressure Pand/or orifice downstream side pressure P. A fluid passage between the downstream side of a control valve and a fluid supply pipe of the pressure type flow rate control apparatus comprises at least 2 fluid passages in parallel, and orifices having different flow rate characteristics are provided for each of these fluid passages, wherein fluid in a small flow quantity area flows to one orifice for flow control of fluid in the small flow quantity area, while fluid in a large flow quantity area flows to the other orifice for flow control of fluid in the large flow quantity area.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Toshihide Yoshida