# US 11,306,847 B2 · Valve device, processing apparatus, and control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,306,847 B2 - Document ID: US11306847B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/538,228 - Filed: 2019-08-12 - Published: 2020-02-20 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-08-17 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Tomohisa Kimoto; Yuichi Furuya; Takashi Kakegawa; Eiichi Komori; Hideaki Fujita; Hiroyuki Mori - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306847B2 ## CPC - F16K 49/00: Means in or on valves for heating or cooling (heating or cooling of pipes or pipe systems F16L53/00; thermal insulation in connection with pipes or pipe systems F16L59/16) - C23C 16/4405: {Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases} - C23C 16/45561: {Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber} - F16K 49/002: {Electric heating means} - F16K 49/005: {Circulation means for a separate heat transfer fluid} - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring} - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A valve device includes: valves configured to control a flow of processing gases supplied to a process vessel; a housing in which first flow paths through which the processing gases flow are formed; a heat diffuser configured to cover the housing and diffuse heat of the housing; a heating part configured to cover the housing covered with the heat diffuser and heat the housing via the heat diffuser; a supply configured to supply a coolant to a second flow path formed between the housing and the heat diffuser; and a controller configure to control the heating part to heat the housing to a first temperature when a predetermined process is performed on a target substrate, and before a start of a cleaning process of the process vessel, control the heating part to stop heating of the housing and control the supply to supply the coolant to the second flow path. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A valve device comprising: a plurality of valves configured to control a flow of a plurality of processing gases supplied to a process vessel; a housing in which a plurality of first flow paths through which the processing gases flow is formed; a heat diffuser configured to cover the housing and diffuse heat of the housing; a heat insulation configured to cover the housing covered with the heat diffuser, and a heater embedded in the heat insulation and being configured to heat the housing via the heat diffuser; a supply configured to supply a coolant to a second flow path formed between the housing and the heat diffuser; and a controller configured to: control the heater so as to heat the housing to a first temperature when a film forming process is performed on a target substrate in the process vessel; and after an end of the film forming process and before a start of a cleaning process of the process vessel, control the heater so as to stop heating of the housing, control the supply so as to supply the coolant to the second flow path, and control at least one of the valves such that a gas having a temperature lower than the first temperature flows through each of the first flow paths. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The valve device of claim 1, wherein the coolant is air at room temperature. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The valve device of claim 1, wherein in the cleaning process of the process vessel, a cleaning gas is supplied to the process vessel via one of the first flow paths, and wherein the cleaning process of the process vessel is performed after a temperature of the housing reaches a second temperature or lower, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The valve device of claim 3, wherein the cleaning gas is a fluorine-containing gas. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The valve device of claim 4, wherein the cleaning gas is a CIF3 gas. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The valve device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to control the heater so as to maintain the temperature of the housing at the second temperature when the temperature of the housing reaches the second temperature or lower. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The valve device of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the supply so as to stop supply of the coolant to the second flow path when the temperature of the housing reaches the second temperature or lower. ### Claim 8 A processing apparatus comprising: a process vessel in which a substrate as a processing target is accommodated; and a valve device configured to control a processing gas supplied to the process vessel, wherein the valve device comprises: a plurality of valves configured to control a flow of a plurality of processing gases supplied to the process vessel; a housing in which a plurality of first flow paths through which the processing gases flow is formed; a heat diffuser configured to cover the housing and diffuse heat of the housing; a heat insulation configured to cover the housing covered with the heat diffuser, and a heater embedded in the heat insulation and being configured to heat the housing via the heat diffuser; a supply configured to supply a coolant to a second flow path formed between the housing and the heat diffuser; and a controller configured to: control the heater so as to heat the housing to a first temperature when a film forming process is performed on the substrate accommodated in the process vessel; and after an end of the film forming process and before a start of a cleaning process of the process vessel, control the heater so as to stop heating of the housing, control the supply so as to supply the coolant to the second flow path, and control at least one of the valves such that a gas having a temperature lower than the first temperature flows through each of the first flow paths. ### Claim 9 A method of controlling a processing apparatus, which comprises: a plurality of valves configured to control a flow of a plurality of processing gases supplied to a process vessel; a housing in which a plurality of first flow paths through which the processing gases flow is formed; a heat diffuser configured to cover the housing and diffuse heat of the housing; a heat insulation configured to cover the housing covered with the heat diffuser, and a heater embedded in the heat insulation and being configured to heat the housing via the heat diffuser; a supply configured to supply a coolant to a second flow path formed between the housing and the heat diffuser; and a controller, the method comprising: heating the housing by controlling the heater so as to heat the housing to a first temperature when a film forming process is performed on a target substrate accommodated in the process vessel; and after an end of the film forming process and before a start of a cleaning process of the process vessel, cooling the housing by controlling the heater so as to stop the heating of the housing, by controlling the supply so as to supply the coolant to the second flow path, and by controlling at least one of the valves such that a gas having a temperature lower than the first temperature flows through each of the first flow paths.