Divertless gas-dosing

An apparatus to supply precursor gas, the apparatus comprising:

• a precursor gas inlet pneumatically coupled to an inlet valve;
• a flow controller pneumatically coupled to be downstream of the inlet valve;
• a self-calibrating flow meter having a flow-control valve, the self-calibrating flow meter located downstream from the flow controller;
• a line charge-volume (LCV) pneumatically coupled to be downstream of the flow controller, the LCV to be charged with an initial volume of the precursor gas;
• a pressure sensor coupled to the LCV to determine a pressure level within the LCV, the initial volume of the precursor gas to be determined based on a pressure level within the LCV;
• and
• an outlet valve pneumatically coupled to be downstream of the LCV, the outlet valve configured to be coupled pneumatically on a downstream side of the outlet valve to a process chamber, with no divert gas path between the outlet valve and the process chamber, the outlet valve configured to be opened to release the initial volume of the precursor gas to the process chamber after the pressure level of the LCV reaches a predetermined value, the flow controller being configured to control a flow of the precursor gas to the process chamber independently of the inlet valve and substantially to maintain the flow at a pre-determined set point when the outlet valve is opened, the apparatus being time independent with regard to a magnitude of the initial volume of the process gas.

A divertless, gas-dosing system comprising:

• a first process gas inlet pneumatically coupled to a first inlet valve to receive a first process gas;
• a second process gas inlet pneumatically coupled to a second inlet valve to receive a second process gas;
• a first flow controller and a second flow controller pneumatically coupled separately to be downstream of the first inlet valve and the second inlet valve, respectively;
• a first self-calibrating flow meter and a second self-calibrating flow meter located downstream from the first flow controller and the second flow controller, respectively, each of the first self-calibrating flow meter and the second self-calibrating flow meter including a flow-control valve;
• at least one, line charge-volume (LCV) pneumatically coupled to be downstream of first flow controller and the second flow controller, the at least one LCV being configured to receive an initial volume of at least one of a mixture of the first process gas and the second process gas and separate initial volumes of the first process gas and the second process gas;
• at least one pressure sensor coupled separately to respective ones of the at least one LCV to determine a pressure level within each of the at least one LCVs;
• and
• an outlet valve pneumatically coupled to be downstream of the at least one LCV, the outlet valve configured to be coupled pneumatically on a downstream side of the outlet valve to a process chamber, with no divert gas path between the outlet valve and the process chamber, the divertless, gas-dosing system being time independent with regard to a magnitude of the initial volume of the process gas.