Abstract: Disclosed is a method of controlling the flow rate of clustering fluid using a pressure type flow rate control device in which the flow rate Q of gas passing through an orifice is computed as K=KP1 (where K is a constant) with the gas being in a state where the ratio P2/P1 between the gas pressure P1 on the upstream side of the orifice and the gas pressure P2 on the downstream side of the orifice is held at a value not higher than the critical pressure ratio of the gas wherein the association of molecules is dissociated either by heating the pressure type flow rate control device to the temperature higher than 40° C., or by applying the diluting gas to the clustering fluid to make it lower than a partial pressure so the clustering fluid is permitted to pass through the orifice in a monomolecular state.

Abstract: A gas supply facility includes a plurality of pressure type flow controllers connected in parallel, and a first controller to control operation of the plurality of pressure type flow controllers so as to supply a desired gas exhausted by a vacuum pump to a chamber while controlling its flow rate, one of the pressure type flow controllers operates as a second controller to control the gas flow rate range up to 10% of the maximum flow rate supplied to the chamber, while the remaining pressure type flow controllers are made to be ones that control the rest of the gas flow rate range. Furthermore, pressure inside the chamber is controlled by installing a pressure detector in the chamber, inputting the value detected by the detector to the controller, and by adjusting a control signal to the pressure type flow controllers.

Abstract: The present invention prevents substantial reduction of flow rate control accuracy in a small flow quantity range, achieves accurate flow rate control over the entire range of flow rate control, and also allows control of a wide pressure range of a chamber with accurate flow rate control. Specifically, a gas supply facility having a plurality of pressure type flow controllers connected in parallel, and a third controller to control operation of the pressure type flow controllers to supply a desired gas exhausted by a vacuum pump to a chamber while controlling its flow rate, is provided wherein one pressure type flow controller is a controller used to control a gas flow rate range up to 10% of the maximum flow rate supplied to the chamber, while the remaining pressure type flow controllers are made to be ones controlling the rest of the gas flow rate range.

Abstract: A differential pressure type flowmeter comprises an orifice, a detector to detect a fluid pressure P1 on the upstream side of an orifice, a detector to detect a fluid pressure P2 on the downstream side of an orifice, a detector to detect a fluid temperature T on the upstream side of an orifice, and a control computation circuit to compute a fluid's flow rate Q passing through an orifice by using the pressure P1, where P2 and temperature T detected with the aforementioned detectors, and the aforementioned fluid's flow rate Q is computed with the equation Q=C1•P1/?T•((P2/P1)m?(P2/P1)m)1/2 (where C1 is a proportional constant, and m and n are constants).

Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to prevent substantial reduction of flow rate control accuracy in a small flow quantity range, to achieve an accurate flow rate control over the entire range of a flow rate control, and also to allow control of a wide pressure range of a chamber with an accurate flow rate control. Namely, with a gas supply facility having a plurality of pressure type flow controllers connected in parallel and a controller to control operation of pressure type flow controllers to supply a desired gas exhausted by a vacuum pump to a chamber while controlling its flow rate, one pressure type flow controller is made to be a controller to control a gas flow rate range up to 10% of the maximum flow rate to be supplied to a chamber, while the remaining pressure type flow controllers are made to be ones to control the rest of the gas flow rate range.

Abstract: A small hole diameter measuring apparatus including: a flow rate measurement section comprised of an automatic pressure control device which supplies a fluid to the inlet side of small holes in a plate while maintaining the outlet- and inlet-side pressures of the small holes in the critical state of the fluid and controlling the inlet-side pressure to a predetermined inlet-side pressure; a plate holding section comprised of a plate supporting device which rotatably holds the plate, and a test probe supporting device which supports a test probe so that the test probe is moved vertically and horizontally; and a control section comprised of a calculation and judgment part, which calculates the hole diameter during the supply of the fluid based upon the measured value of the flow rate from the flow rate measurement section, and an external output part, which outputs the calculated value to the outside.

Abstract: A cost reduction can be achieved by making a differential pressure type flowmeter simple in structure, and highly accurate flow rate measurements can be attained over the wide flow rate range of 100% to 1% with errors E of less than 1 (% SP) both in real time and in a state of inline. To achieve the ends, a differential pressure type flowmeter comprises an orifice, a detector to detect a fluid pressure P1 on the upstream side of an orifice, a detector to detect a fluid pressure P2 on the downstream side of an orifice, a detector to detect a fluid temperature T on the upstream side of an orifice, and a control computation circuit to compute a fluid's flow rate Q passing through an orifice by using the pressure P1, pressure P2 and temperature T detected with the aforementioned detectors, and the aforementioned fluid's flow rate Q is computed with the equation Q=C1·P1/?{square root over ( )}T·((P2/P1)m?(P2/P1)n)1/2 (where C1 is a proportional constant, and m and n are constants).

Abstract: A gas supply facility includes a plurality of pressure type flow controllers connected in parallel, and a first controller to control operation of the plurality of pressure type flow controllers so as to supply a desired gas exhausted by a vacuum pump to a chamber while controlling its flow rate, one of the pressure type flow controllers operates as a second controller to control the gas flow rate range up to 10% of the maximum flow rate supplied to the chamber, while the remaining pressure type flow controllers are made to be ones that control the rest of the gas flow rate range. Furthermore, pressure inside the chamber is controlled by installing a pressure detector in the chamber, inputting the value detected by the detector to the controller, and by adjusting a control signal to the pressure type flow controllers.

Abstract: A pressure sensor, a pressure control apparatus, and a flow rate control apparatus are provided to automatically correct temperature drift of the pressure sensor and accurately detect pressure despite changes in temperature. An embodiment includes an upstream side pressure sensor between an orifice and a control valve, to control flow rate through the orifice by a regulating control valve, while calculating the flow from the upstream side pressure. With a temperature sensor, a memory means, and a temperature drift correcting means which calculates drift of the upstream side pressure sensor from data in the memory means when the temperature of the fluid changes and offsets the output drift of the upstream side pressure sensor with the calculated amount of the output drift, temperature drift of the pressure sensor is automatically corrected, enabling accurate control of flow rate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of controlling the flow rate of clustering fluid using a pressure type flow rate control device in which the flow rate Q of gas passing through an orifice is computed as K=KP1 (where K is a constant) with the gas being in a state where the ratio P2/P1 between the gas pressure P1 on the upstream side of the orifice and the gas pressure P2 on the downstream side of the orifice is held at a value not higher than the critical pressure ratio of the gas wherein the association of molecules is dissociated either by heating the pressure type flow rate control device to the temperature higher than 40° C., or by applying the diluting gas to the clustering fluid to make it lower than a partial pressure so the clustering fluid is permitted to pass through the orifice in a monomolecular state.

Abstract: A small hole diameter measuring apparatus including: a flow rate measurement section comprised of an automatic pressure control device which supplies a fluid to the inlet side of small holes in a plate while maintaining the outlet- and inlet-side pressures of the small holes in the critical state of the fluid and controlling the inlet-side pressure to a predetermined inlet-side pressure; a plate holding section comprised of a plate supporting device which rotatably holds the plate, and a test probe supporting device which supports a test probe so that the test probe is moved vertically and horizontally; and a control section comprised of a calculation and judgment part, which calculates the hole diameter during the supply of the fluid based upon the measured value of the flow rate from the flow rate measurement section, and an external output part, which outputs the calculated value to the outside.

Abstract: A pressure-type flow rate control apparatus controls the flow rate of fluid passing through an orifice to a target flow rate. The flow rate of a compressible fluid under non-critical conditions (sub-sonic) passing through the orifice is calculated by: Qc=KP2m(P1?P2)n so that the flow rate can be controlled to the target flow rate with high precision and speed. Also provided is an improved pressure-type flow rate control apparatus in which a pressure ratio P2/P1=r, obtained from an upstream pressure P1 and a downstream pressure P2 is constantly compared with a critical value r, and under critical conditions (r?rc), the flow rate is calculated by: Qc=KP1. Under non-critical conditions (r>rc), the flow rate is calculated by Qc=KP2m(P1?P2)n.

Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus with a plurality of flow lines branching out from one pressure regulator with the flow lines arranged in parallel and constructed so that opening or closing one flow passage will have no transient effect on the steady flow of the other flow passages. Each flow passage is provided with a time delay-type mass flow controller MFC so that when one closed fluid passage is opened, the mass flow controller on that flow passage reaches a set flow rate Qs in a specific delay time ?t from the starting point. The invention includes a method and an apparatus in which a plurality of gas types can be controlled in flow rate with high precision by one pressure-type flow control system.

Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus with a plurality of flow lines branching out from one pressure regulator with the flow lines arranged in parallel and constructed so that opening or closing one flow passage will have no transient effect on the steady flow of the other flow passages. Each flow passage is provided with a time delay-type mass flow controller MFC so that when one closed fluid passage is opened, the mass flow controller on that flow passage reaches a set flow rate Qs in a specific delay time At from the starting point. The invention includes a method and an apparatus in which a plurality of gas types can be controlled in flow rate with high precision by one pressure-type flow control system.

Abstract: A pressure-type flow rate control apparatus controls the flow rate of fluid passing through an orifice to a target flow rate.

Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus with a plurality of flow lines branching out from one regulator for adjustment of pressure, the flow lines being arranged in parallel, wherein a measure is taken that the operation, that is, opening or closing of one flow passage will have no transient effect on the steady flow of the other flow passages. For this purpose, each flow passage is provided with a time delay-type mass flow controller MFC so that when one closed fluid passage is opened, the mass flow controller on that flow passage reaches a set flow rate Qs in a specific delay time &Dgr;t from the starting point.

Abstract: A pressure sensor, a pressure control apparatus, and a flow rate control apparatus are provided in which the temperature drift of the pressure sensor is automatically corrected, and pressure can be accurately detected in spite of changes in temperature.

Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus with a plurality of flow lines branching out from one regulator for adjustment of pressure, the flow lines being arranged in parallel, wherein a measure is taken that the operation, that is, opening or closing of one flow passage will have no transient effect on the steady flow of the other flow passages. For this purpose, each flow passage is provided with a time delay-type mass flow controller MFC so that when one closed fluid passage is opened, the mass flow controller on that flow passage reaches a set flow rate Qs in a specific delay time &Dgr;t from the starting point.

Abstract: A method of detecting abnormalities in flow rate in pressure-type flow controller. The method checks the flow rate for abnormalities while controlling the flow rate of fluid in a pressure-type flow controller FCS using an orifice—the pressure-type flow controller wherein with the upstream pressure P1 maintained about two or more times higher than the downstream pressure P2, the downstream flow rate QC is calculated by the equation QC=KP1 (K: constant) and wherein the control valve CV is controlled on the basis of the difference signal QY between the calculated flow rate QC and the set flow rate QS.

Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus with a plurality of flow lines branching out from one pressure regulator with the flow lines arranged in parallel and constructed so that opening or closing one flow passage will have no transient effect on the steady flow of the other flow passages. Each flow passage is provided with a time delay-type mass flow controller MFC so that when one closed fluid passage is opened, the mass flow controller on that flow passage reaches a set flow rate Qs in a specific delay time &Dgr;t from the starting point. The invention includes a method and an apparatus in which a plurality of gas types can be controlled in flow rate with high precision by one pressure-type flow control system.