System and method for recycling a gas used to deposit a semiconductor layer

A method for recycling at least a portion of a deposition gas used to deposit a semiconductor layer, the method comprising:

• exhausting an effluent gas from a processing chamber in which the semiconductor layer is deposited, the effluent gas comprising an unused portion of the deposition gas;
• determining a contaminant concentration of the effluent gas;
• communicating the effluent gas to a mixing reservoir when the contaminant concentration is less than a maximum contaminant concentration;
• mixing the effluent gas with a virgin gas in the mixing reservoir to form a recycled deposition gas;
• and
• communicating the recycled deposition gas to the processing chamber to deposit an additional portion of the semiconductor layer with the recycled deposition gas.

A system for recycling gas used to deposit a semiconductor layer in a processing chamber, the system comprising:

• a reclamation reservoir for receiving effluent gas exhausted from the processing chamber and to store the effluent gas exhausted from the processing chamber during deposition of the semiconductor layer;
• a gas composition analyzer for determining at least one of a composition and a purity of the effluent gas in the reclamation reservoir;
• and
• a mixing reservoir for receiving the effluent gas from the reclamation reservoir when at least one of the composition and the purity of the effluent gas exceeds a minimum threshold, wherein the effluent gas is mixed with a virgin gas in the mixing reservoir to create a recycled deposition gas, the recycled deposition gas utilized to deposit an additional portion of the semiconductor layer.