| US 7,426,939 B2 | ||
| Rotatable valve | ||
| Henderikus H. N. J. Jorg, Amerfoot (Netherlands) | ||
| Assigned to ASM International N.V., Bilthoven (Netherlands) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 29, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/529,847. | ||
| Application 11/529847 is a division of application No. 10/810421, filed on Mar. 25, 2004, abandoned. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0017444 A1, Jan. 25, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. F16K 11/085 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 137—625.47 [438/935] | 23 Claims |
| 1. A system for semiconductor processing, comprising:
a reaction chamber for semiconductor processing; and
a valve for switching fluid flows flowing into the reaction chamber, the valve comprising:
a glass valve housing having an inner surface and at least three conduit connection openings for connecting to the reaction
chamber and to fluid sources;
a glass rotatable valve element within the valve housing, the rotatable valve element rotatable, about a valve element axis,
between at least two positions, wherein the rotatable valve element is spaced from the valve housing to prevent direct mechanical
contact between the valve element and the valve housing; and
glide bearings disposed between the rotatable element and the valve housing, the glide bearings sized and positioned to center
the rotatable valve element in the valve housing,
wherein at least two of the at least three conduit connection openings are disposed in the valve housing at different angular
positions relative to the rotatable valve element axis,
wherein the rotatable valve element comprises at least one fluid passage having a first end and a second end, wherein the
first end aligns, in the at least two valve positions, to allow deliberate fluid communication with a different one of the
at least two of the at least three conduit connection openings, wherein the second end aligns to allow deliberate fluid communication
with an other of the at least three conduit connection openings, and
wherein a wall of the rotatable valve element is closely spaced from the inner surface of the valve housing, between the at
least two conduit connection openings in the valve housing, such that when the first end is aligned for deliberate fluid communication
with one of the at least two of the at least three conduits connection openings, the first end is substantially sealed from
an other of the at least two of the at least three conduit connection openings by the wall of the rotatable valve element
and by the inner surface, wherein the wall is separated from the inner surface by a gap, wherein the gap is smaller than about
0.1 mm.
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