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AssigneeAdvanced Technology Materials, Inc.
InventorsW. Karl Olander, Matthew B. Donatucci, Luping Wang, Michael J. Wodjenski
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Apparatus and method for dispensing a gas using a gas source coupled in selective flow relationship with a gas manifold. The gas manifold includes flow circuitry for discharging gas to a gas-using zone, and the gas source includes a pressure-regulated gas source vessel containing the gas at superatmospheric pressure. The pressure-regulated gas source vessel can be arranged with a pressure regulator at or within the vessel and a flow control valve coupled in flow relationship to the vessel, so that gas dispensed from the vessel flows through the regulator prior to flow through the flow control valve, and into the gas manifold. The apparatus and method permit an enhancement of the safety of storage and dispensing of toxic or otherwise hazardous gases used in semiconductor processes.
A gas supply assembly, comprising a gas supply manifold arranged to receive discharged gas from a pressure-regulated gas source vessel for delivery to a gas-using zone, wherein the gas supply manifold is isolatable from the pressure-regulated gas source vessel when a predetermined pressure occurrence is detected in the gas supply manifold, an isolation valve actuatable to isolate the gas supply manifold from the pressure-regulated gas source vessel upon said predetermined pressure occurrence, and a pressure sensing element arranged to sense said predetermined pressure occurrence in the gas supply manifold, with the isolation valve being arranged for actuation to isolate the gas supply manifold from the pressure-regulated gas source vessel in response to sensing of said predetermined pressure occurrence by the pressure sensing element, wherein the pressure-regulated gas source vessel comprises an interior volume, and a gas regulator or a series-arranged assembly of gas regulators is in said interior volume to regulate gas dispensing from the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.