Back to results
US 10,490,431 B2Granted
Combination vacuum and over-pressure process chamber and methods related thereto
AssigneeYield Engineering Systems, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Moffat, Craig Walter McCoy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process chamber system adapted for both vacuum process steps and steps at pressures higher than atmospheric pressure. The chamber door may utilize a double door seal which allows for high vacuum in the gap between the seals such that the sealing force provided by the high vacuum in the seal gap is higher than the opposing forces due to the pressure inside the chamber and the weight of the components.
Claims11
A process chamber system, said process chamber system comprising:
- a process chamber, said process chamber comprising an opening with a chamber opening flange;
- a low vacuum source coupled to said process chamber;
- a pressurized gas source coupled to said process chamber;
- a process chamber door, said process chamber door adapted to seal to said chamber opening flange along a sealing flange area;
- a double seal along said sealing flange area, said double seal capturing a seal gap area between the two seals of said double seal between said door and said chamber opening flange;
- and
- a high vacuum source coupled to said seal gap area,
- wherein said seal gap is sized to allow for sealing of the process chamber door while the process chamber is at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and the seal gap area is under vacuum.
5 more elements
A method for processing in a process chamber, said method comprising the steps of:
- loading substrates into a process chamber through a chamber door opening;
- closing the chamber door;
- creating a seal between the chamber door and the process chamber by pulling a vacuum between two seals which create said door seal;
- running a process step in the process chamber while said process chamber is under vacuum;
- and
- running a process step in the process chamber at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.