Patents Assigned to VAT Holding AG
  • Patent number: 11971118
    Abstract: A vacuum valve or door having a closure plate for closing an opening in a wall. The opening has opposing first and second longitudinal edges and shorter opposing first and second transverse edges. A sealing unit seals the closure plate against the wall in the closed position. The sealing unit includes a supporting frame having opposing first and second longitudinal legs and shorter opposing first and second transverse legs, on which supporting frame there is mounted on one side a circumferential closure plate seal and on the other side a circumferential wall seal. The supporting frame is secured to fastening points on the wall, with central portions of the first and second longitudinal legs being free with respect to the wall, or the supporting frame is secured to fastening points on the closure plate, with the central being free with respect to the closure plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Marc Hübener, Arthur Büchel, Markus Poppeller
  • Publication number: 20240133486
    Abstract: A valve on which a valve plate is arranged in a valve housing interior space of a valve housing and fixed to a shaft, in which the valve plate together with the shaft can be displaced back and forth in directions parallel to a shaft longitudinal axis between a closed position and an intermediate position, and by rotation of the shaft about the shaft longitudinal axis can be pivoted back and forth between the intermediate position and a maximum open position. A shaft leadthrough for sealing the shaft with respect to the valve housing has a bellows which can be expanded and pushed together in the directions parallel to the shaft longitudinal axis, a first bellows end of this bellows being fixed to the valve housing, and a shaft sealing ring in which the shaft is rotatably mounted, being arranged on a second bellows end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Hanspeter FREHNER, Martin NETZER
  • Publication number: 20240102581
    Abstract: A vacuum valve or door having a closure plate for closing an opening in a wall. The opening has opposing first and second longitudinal edges and shorter opposing first and second transverse edges. A sealing unit seals the closure plate against the wall in the closed position. The sealing unit includes a supporting frame having opposing first and second longitudinal legs and shorter opposing first and second transverse legs, on which supporting frame there is mounted on one side a circumferential closure plate seal and on the other side a circumferential wall seal. The supporting frame is secured to fastening points on the wall, with central portions of the first and second longitudinal legs being free with respect to the wall, or the supporting frame is secured to fastening points on the closure plate, with the central being free with respect to the closure plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Marc HÜBENER, Arthur BÜCHEL, Markus POPPELLER
  • Publication number: 20240093814
    Abstract: A device (1) for connecting fluid-conducting lines (2) and/or chambers (3) in a high-frequency electromagnetic field. The device includes two line bodies (4, 6) each having a line body inner wall (5, 7), which is rigid per se, and a bellows (8). The line body inner walls together enclose an inner cavity (9) for the passage of fluid through the device, and the line bodies are connected to one another, and enclosed with a sealing action, by the bellows and the first and second line bodies can be displaced and/or tilted relative to one another. The second line body inner wall projects a little into an interior space (10) surrounded by the first line body inner wall and ends there and the first line body inner wall is electrically conductively connected to the second line body inner wall by at least one elastically deformable sliding contact (11).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Thomas MAYER
  • Publication number: 20240093787
    Abstract: A valve plate for a closure device for closing an opening in a vacuum-tight manner. A front side of the valve plate has a seal ring for sealing to the wall, and the rear side has a depression for connecting to a valve rod. In regions of two mutually opposite lateral walls of the depression, an extension adjoins in each depression. For each respective extension a threaded bore is present, which on a lateral wall thereof opens into the extension. The valve rod is connectable to the valve plate by a respective retaining bolt screwed into the respective threaded bore and via an end portion that protrudes from the threaded bore into the extension, with the end portion interacting with a groove on a connecting part connected to the valve rod end, or at the valve rod end is configured integral to the latter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Fabian BÜCHEL, Philipp WOHLWEND
  • Patent number: 11906066
    Abstract: A seal support ring (1) for a valve (2), particularly a vacuum valve, which has a throughflow opening (3) and a basic body (4), which annularly surrounds the throughflow opening, and a fastener arrangement (5) for fastening the seal support ring to a valve housing (6) of the valve. The basic body has a first side (7) on which the seal support ring, in a mounted state on the valve housing, lies against the valve housing, and the seal support ring has a seal ring (8) made from an elastomer which, in its position on the basic body, surrounds the throughflow opening. A casing wall (9) is arranged on the basic body and at least partially surrounds the throughflow opening and, on a second side (10) of the basic body (4) opposite the first side, protrudes from the basic body and has a larger inside diameter than the seal ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Vat Holding AG
    Inventors: Christof Bachmann, Hanspeter Frehner, Martin Netzer, Florian Ehrne
  • Patent number: 11815196
    Abstract: A vacuum valve having a valve body, a closure member, a valve rod which supports the closure member, a guide piece by which the valve rod is movably guided parallel to a longitudinal displacement direction, a longitudinal travel drive by which the valve rod is displaceable with respect to the guide piece parallel to the longitudinal displacement direction, a transverse travel drive, and a slide part which is movable by the transverse travel drive, is guided by a primary linear guide to be movable with respect to the valve body, and is guided by a secondary linear guide to be movable with respect to the guide piece. The primary and secondary linear guides each run at an angle of less than 45° with respect to the longitudinal displacement direction, and the primary linear guides form an angle of more than 3° and less than 45° with the secondary linear guides.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Thomas Blecha
  • Patent number: 11788630
    Abstract: A vacuum valve including a housing, a closure unit with two valve plates, supported by a valve rod, and a carrier piece connected rigidly to the valve rod, a transmission unit, a drive unit with a base body and an actuator, a longitudinal linear guide, by which the transmission unit is guided parallel to a longitudinal adjusting direction relative to the base body, an oblique linear guide, by which the carrier piece is guided parallel to an oblique adjusting direction relative to the transmission unit, a spring acting between the transmission unit and the carrier piece, a stop device which blocks adjustment of the closure unit in the longitudinal adjusting direction in a middle position thereof, and a blocking unit, which in the locked state blocks an adjustment of the closure unit situated in the middle position counter to the longitudinal adjusting direction and, in the release state, allows adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Lukas Schaltegger, Clemens Kühne
  • Patent number: 11784086
    Abstract: Disclosed is a pin lifting device for moving and positioning a substrate. The pin lifting device includes a coupling, a supporting pin configured to support the substrate, and a drive unit which configure to drive the coupling. The pin lifting device includes a separating means for separating a process atmosphere area from an external atmosphere area. The drive unit is at least partially in the external atmosphere area and the coupling is in the process atmosphere area. The coupling includes a linearly extending recess defining a central receiving axis. The recess has a width substantially orthogonally to the receiving axis. A clamping section delimited axially with respect to the receiving axis has a clamping element, in an unloaded receiving state, defines a clamping width that is smaller than the recess width, and the clamping width is variable as a function of a force acting radially on the clamping element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: VAT HOLDING AG
    Inventors: Daniel Dünser, Clemens Kühne, Michael Dür, Rene Bereuter
  • Patent number: 11767931
    Abstract: A vacuum valve (1) for loading and/or unloading a vacuum chamber (2). The vacuum valve has a closure plate (3) that is pressed against a valve seat (4) when in a closed position to seal a loading opening (5) and being raised from the valve seat (4) when in an open position, exposing the loading opening (5) for loading and/or unloading the vacuum chamber (2). The vacuum valve has at least one drive (6) for moving the closure plate (3) back and forth between the open and closed positions, the closure plate (3) being held by at least one guide (7) on at least one plate holder (8) of the drive (6). The vacuum valve has at least one elastic preload body (9), with the closure plate (3) being movable against a preload of the elastic preload body (9) along the guide (7) relative to the plate holder (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Vat Holding AG
    Inventors: René Bereuter, Stefan Schoch, Philipp Wohlwend
  • Publication number: 20230290668
    Abstract: A pin lifting device (1) for lowering a substrate (2) onto a substrate carrier (15) and for lifting the substrate (2) off the substrate carrier (15) in a process chamber, in particular a vacuum process chamber. The pin lifting device (1) includes at least one lifting pin holder (4) and at least one lifting drive (5) for moving the lifting pin holder (4), which has a lifting pin (6) mounted thereon, in a reciprocating manner along a linear lifting motion path (7). The lifting pin holder (4) is mounted on the lifting drive (5) by a compensation bearing (8), and the compensation bearing (8) facilitates a relative movement between the lifting drive (5) and the lifting pin holder (4) in at least one direction (9) orthogonal to the linear lifting motion path (7).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Michael DÜR
  • Patent number: 11739847
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vacuum process system for an evacuable vacuum process volume, a vacuum valve, a peripheral unit having a closed-loop and open-loop control unit. The vacuum valve includes a valve seat, with a valve opening and a first sealing surface; a valve closure, with a second sealing surface and a drive unit coupled to the valve closure. The valve closure can be varied to provide different valve opening states. The closed-loop and open-loop control unit can perform multiple execution of a process cycle with control of the peripheral unit at least in part to execute a control cycle providing a deliberate variation or setting of the valve opening state by controlling the drive unit on the basis of a currently determined controlled variable for a process parameter and on the basis of a target variable and can be performed with a certain temporal relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: VAT HOLDING AG
    Inventor: Michael Zickar
  • Publication number: 20230258278
    Abstract: A valve (1) with a valve housing (2) and valve openings (3), and with a closing element (5) and at least one valve drive (6). Thee valve also has two mutually opposite flanges (9, 10) each having a passage opening (11). The flanges can be moved towards and away from one another by the valve drive and are force-coupled to the closing element with respect to the movements of the closing element and in the fully opened position of the closing element are pressed against the wall regions (4) of the valve housing and thus the passage openings of the flanges connect the valve openings together. The two flanges (9, 10) each include a sequence of fingers (12) and recesses (13) arranged in between, and the fingers surround the passage openings and the fingers of the one flange engage in the respective recesses of the other flange.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Thomas Mayer
  • Patent number: 11725739
    Abstract: A sealing ring made of an elastomer material is fitted on the front side of an essentially rectangular valve plate for sealing a vacuum valve opening. On the rear side, the valve plate has a recess with an undercut boundary wall which forms a sloping surface which, for fastening the valve plate on a carrier, is braced with a sloping surface of the carrier. The valve plate has a lug which protrudes beyond the rear side thereof and has a through-passage bore through which a clamping screw is screwable into a threaded bore of the carrier, for bracing the valve plate sloping surface with the carrier sloping surface. In a side view of the valve plate, seen parallel to the longitudinal sides, the straight-line extension of the longitudinal center axis of the through-passage bore runs past the sloping surface at a distance from the rear side of the valve plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Lukas Schaltegger
  • Publication number: 20230249304
    Abstract: A lifting device for lowering a substrate onto and for lifting it off from a substrate carrier in a process chamber. The lifting device had a lifting rod and a linear drive, for moving the lifting rod along a linear lifting movement path, and a plurality of adjustment screws for adjusting the position of the lifting movement path. The lifting device has a drive housing for the linear drive, and a drive housing flange and a passage opening surrounded by this flange. The lifting rod is guided through the passage opening, and the adjustment screws are each screwed through an adjustment screw receiving opening in the drive housing flange. The adjustment screw receiving openings are spaced apart in the drive housing flange, and a protrusion of the respective adjustment screw over the drive housing flange is adjustable by screwing that adjustment screw through the respective receiving opening at differing depths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Clemens Kuhne
  • Publication number: 20230241560
    Abstract: A device (1) for homogenizing a gas distribution in a process chamber (2). The device (1) has a aperture shield (3) and a linear drive (4) for moving the aperture shield (3) in a reciprocating manner in two mutually opposite linear movement directions (5) between two terminal positions. The aperture shield (3) is able to be heated by at least one heating installation (6) of the device (1), and the aperture shield (3) by way of at least one interposed compensation element (7) of the device (1) is connected to the linear drive (4). The compensation element (7) enables a relative movement between the aperture shield (3) and the linear drive (4) in at least one direction (8) transverse, preferably orthogonal, to the linear movement directions (5) of the aperture shield (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Samir JOKAR, Sven RIESCHL, Daniel DüNSER
  • Publication number: 20230151892
    Abstract: A valve plate has a plate portion with a front side elastomeric seal fitted thereon, and a connection apparatus arranged at the rear side for connecting the valve plate to a carrier apparatus of a vacuum valve. The connection apparatus includes first and second elongate connection portions, the first connection portion is located at one side and the second connection portion is located at the other side of the longitudinal center of the plate portion, with each being connected to the plate portion with the two spaced-apart ends thereof. The connection portions are spaced apart from the plate portion in the region between the two ends thereof, with a respective slot formed between the plate portion and the respective connection portion, and have in a central region of the longitudinal extent thereof a connection structure for connection to an end portion of a respective valve rod of the carrier apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Mathias SCHÖN, Bernhard LITSCHER, Mario MOSER, Alen FRANIC, Gregor BECK
  • Publication number: 20230151891
    Abstract: A valve plate has a plate portion with an elastomeric seal on a front face and an elongated connecting portion spaced apart from a rear face by a slot for fastening the valve plate to a valve rod. The extension of the connecting portion in the width direction is defined by opposing first and second side edges of the connecting portion when viewed in a plan view of the rear face of the plate portion. A connecting structure is configured in the connecting portion in a central region of the longitudinal extension of the first side edge of the connecting portion for connecting the connecting portion to an end portion of the valve rod. The connecting portion is reinforced in a region of its extension in the width direction adjoining the second side edge, relative to a region of its extension in the width direction adjoining the first side edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Applicant: VAT Holding AG
    Inventors: Mathias SCHÖN, Bernhard LITSCHER, Mario MOSER, Alen FRANIC, Gregor BECK
  • Patent number: 11585439
    Abstract: An edge-welded bellows, including a plurality of diaphragms and a guide part for guiding on the outer surface of a rod extending through an inner through-opening of the bellows or for guiding on the inner surface of a tube surrounding the bellows. The guide part has a retaining fin, which, at the edge thereof, lies between the edges of adjacent diaphragms and is welded thereto, and a guide sleeve, which surrounds the longitudinal central axis and has a guide surface for guiding the bellows on the outer surface of the rod or the inner surface of the tube. The guide sleeve has a wall thickness that is more than three times that of the retaining fin. The guide sleeve has a step having a contact surface. The retaining fin lies, in a region adjoining the edge thereof, on the contact surface and is form-fittingly secured against being lifted off from the contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: VAT Holding AG
    Inventor: Christian Hasler
  • Patent number: 11587819
    Abstract: 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: VAT HOLDING AG
    Inventors: Michael Dür, Rico Rohner, Adrian Eschenmoser, Marco Apolloni