IP Library Granted Patent US 9,169,558
Granted Patent B2
US 9,169,558 · App. 13/203,866 · Granted Oct 27, 2015

Fluid control apparatus

Inventors: Jun Hirose (Nirasaki, JP); Kazuyuki Tezuka (Nirasaki, JP); Yohei Uchida (Nirasaki, JP); Mutsunori Koyomogi (Osaka, JP); Takahiro Matsuda (Osaka, JP); Ryousuke Dohi (Osaka, JP); Kouji Nishino (Osaka, JP); Nobukazu Ikeda (Osaka, JP)
Assignees: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED; FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
C23C16/45561H01L21/67017Y10T137/0396
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,169,558
App. No.
13/203,866
Granted
Oct 27, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

To provide a fluid control apparatus capable of reducing the space, while reducing the cost. A fluid control apparatus has a fluid controlling unit and a fluid introducing unit. The fluid introducing unit is divided into three parts: a first and a second inlet-side shutoff/open parts disposed on the inlet side, each made up of 2×N/2, disposed between the first and second inlet-side shutoff/open parts and the fluid controlling unit.

Claims (18)

1. A fluid control apparatus comprising:

a fluid controlling unit including M fluid control lines each having one flow rate controller as a basic constituting element, one inlet and one outlet, and

a fluid introducing unit configured to introduce a plurality of fluids to the fluid controlling unit, and having N inlets and M outlets by a plurality of on-off valves, where N is greater than M and the M outlets of the fluid introducing unit and M inlets of the fluid controlling unit being connected one-on-one,

wherein the fluid introducing unit is divided into an inlet-side shutoff/open part made up of a plurality of on-off valves, disposed on the inlet side, having a total of N inlets and a total of K outlets, and a fluid controlling unit-side shutoff/open part made up of a plurality of on-off valves, disposed between the inlet-side shutoff/open part and the fluid controlling unit, having a total of K inlets and a total of M outlets, and the inlet-side shutoff/open part is divided into a plurality of groups each having two or more required number of on-off valves, and

wherein the fluid introducing unit comprises a first and a second inlet-side shutoff/open parts respectively made up of N 1 ×2 on-off valves and (N−N 1 )×2 on-off valves, and a fluid controlling unit-side shutoff/open part made up of 4×M on-off valves.

2. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flow rate controller is of a pressure type that executes flow rate control of a fluid while keeping an upstream pressure of an orifice about twice or more a downstream pressure, the flow rate controller including said orifice which is formed by piercing a fine hole in a metal thin sheet, with a desired flow rate characteristic, a control valve provided upstream the orifice, a pressure detector provided between the control valve and the orifice, and an operation control device that operates flow rate Qc from a detected pressure P of the pressure detector according to Qc=K×P wherein K is constant, and outputs a difference between a flow rate command signal Qs and the operated flow rate signal Qc to a driving part of the control valve as a control signal Qy, wherein the upstream pressure of the orifice is adjusted by opening/closing of the control valve to control the flow rate downstream the orifice, and the M fluid control lines having M flow rate controllers are replaced by M fluid control lines having the m pressure type flow rate controllers, wherein m is less than M.

3. A fluid control apparatus comprising:

a fluid controlling unit including M fluid control lines each having one flow rate controller as a basic constituting element, one inlet and one outlet, and

a fluid introducing unit configured to introduce a plurality of fluids to the fluid controlling unit, and having N inlets and M outlets by a plurality of on-off valves, where N is greater than M and the M outlets of the fluid introducing unit and M inlets of the fluid controlling unit being connected one-on-one,

wherein the fluid introducing unit is divided into an inlet-side shutoff/open part made up of a plurality of on-off valves, disposed on the inlet side, having a total of N inlets and a total of K outlets, and a fluid controlling unit-side shutoff/open part made up of a plurality of on-off valves, disposed between the inlet-side shutoff/open part and the fluid controlling unit, having a total of K inlets and a total of M outlets, and the inlet-side shutoff/open part is divided into a plurality of groups each having two or more required number of on-off valves, and

wherein the fluid introducing unit comprises, assuming N=N 1 +N 2 +N 3 +N 4 , a first to a fourth inlet-side shutoff/open parts respectively made up of N 1 , N 2 , N 3 and N 4 on-off valves, and a fluid controlling unit-side shutoff/open part made up of 4×M on-off valves.

4. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the flow rate controller is of a pressure type that executes flow rate control of a fluid while keeping an upstream pressure of an orifice about twice or more a downstream pressure, the flow rate controller including an said orifice, which is formed by piercing a fine hole in a metal thin sheet, with a desired flow rate characteristic, a control valve provided upstream the orifice, a pressure detector provided between the control valve and the orifice, and an operation control device that operates flow rate Qc from a detected pressure P of the pressure detector according to Qc=K×P wherein K is constant, and outputs a difference between a flow rate command signal Qs and the operated flow rate signal Qc to a driving part of the control valve as a control signal Qy, wherein the upstream pressure of the orifice is adjusted by opening/closing of the control valve to control the flow rate downstream the orifice, and the M fluid control lines having M flow rate controllers are replaced by M fluid control lines having the m pressure type flow rate controllers, wherein m is less than M.

5. A fluid control apparatus comprising:

a fluid controlling unit including M fluid control lines each having one flow rate controller as a basic constituting element, one inlet and one outlet, and

a fluid introducing unit configured to introduce a plurality of fluids to the fluid controlling unit, and having N inlets and M outlets by a plurality of on-off valves, where N is greater than M and the M outlets of the fluid introducing unit and M inlets of the fluid controlling unit being connected one-on-one,

wherein the fluid introducing unit is divided into an inlet-side shutoff/open part made up of a plurality of on-off valves, disposed on the inlet side, having a total of N inlets and a total of K outlets, and a fluid controlling unit-side shutoff/open part made up of a plurality of on-off valves, disposed between the inlet-side shutoff/open part and the fluid controlling unit, having a total of K inlets and a total of M outlets, and the inlet-side shutoff/open part is divided into a plurality of groups each having two or more required number of on-off valves, and

wherein the fluid introducing unit comprises a first to a fourth inlet-side shutoff/open parts respectively made up of N/4 on-off valves, and a first and a second fluid controlling unit-side shutoff/open parts respectively made up of 2×M/2 on-off valves.

6. The fluid control apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the flow rate controller is of a pressure type that executes flow rate control of a fluid while keeping an upstream pressure of an orifice about twice or more a downstream pressure, the flow rate controller including said orifice, which is formed by piercing a fine hole in a metal thin sheet, with a desired flow rate characteristic, a control valve provided upstream the orifice, a pressure detector provided between the control valve and the orifice, and an operation control device that operates flow rate Qc from a detected pressure P of the pressure detector according to Qc=K×P wherein K is constant, and outputs a difference between a flow rate command signal Qs and the operated flow rate signal Qc to a driving part of the control valve as a control signal Qy, wherein the upstream pressure of the orifice is adjusted by opening/closing of the control valve to control the flow rate downstream the orifice, and the M fluid control lines having M flow rate controllers are replaced by M fluid control lines having the m pressure type flow rate controllers, wherein m is less than M.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 13, 2011
From: HIROSE, JUN; TEZUKA, KAZUYUKI; UCHIDA, YOHEI; KOYOMOGI, MUTSUNORI; MATSUDA, TAKAHIRO; DOHI, RYOUSUKE; NISHINO, KOUJI; IKEDA, NOBUKAZU
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED; FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 027054/0051 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2009-049045 · Mar 3, 2009 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120031500A1 · Feb 9, 2012