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AMAT 0051-01978
Product Name: Endura Vacuum Lock Valve Pneumatic Actuator Assembly
Product Introduction: This component is a high-vacuum isolation valve actuator assembly used primarily in Applied Materials Endura PVD and CVD systems. It serves as the gatekeeper between the central transfer chamber (maintained at high vacuum) and the process modules or load locks. The actuator provides the mechanical force to open or close the valve gate, ensuring that the vacuum integrity of the system is maintained during wafer transfer and processing.
Technical Specifications:
- System Compatibility: Applied Materials Endura Series (Centura and Integrated Platforms)
Detailed content
- Valve Type: Pneumatic Angle Valve or Gate Valve
- Actuation Mechanism: Double-acting pneumatic cylinder
- Vacuum Rating: Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV), base pressure < 5×10^-9 Torr
- Seal Material: Elastomer (Viton or Kalrez) or Metal (Copper) gaskets depending on bake-out requirements
- Cycle Life: Rated for millions of cycles with minimal wear
Functional Features: - Fast Actuation: Designed for rapid opening and closing (typically < 1 second) to minimize cycle time and maintain vacuum levels during wafer transfer.
- Vacuum Isolation: Provides a hermetic seal to prevent cross-contamination between different process modules (e.g., preventing PVD material from entering a CVD module).
- Position Sensing: Integrated sensors (magnetic or proximity) to confirm open/closed status to the equipment controller.
- Bake-out Capable: Constructed from low-outgassing materials (stainless steel 316L) to withstand high-temperature bake-outs (up to 150°C) for chamber conditioning.
Application Scenarios: - Wafer transfer between load locks and process chambers in cluster tools.
- Isolating a specific process module for maintenance while keeping the rest of the tool under vacuum.
- Pumping down the transfer chamber from atmospheric pressure to process pressure.
- Ensuring process integrity in multi-chamber tools where different materials (metals, dielectrics) are deposited sequentially.
