Particulate trap for vertical furnace

A contaminant trap for a vertical furnace having a process chamber with an exhaust port near an upper end of the chamber through which exhaust by-products from the process chamber may be evacuated, said contaminant trap comprising:

• a housing having a solid bottom wall and at least one sidewall, said housing being sized for disposition within said exhaust port of said process chamber such that a portion of said at least one sidewall and said bottom wall extend into said process chamber, said housing having an interior compartment at least partially defined by said bottom wall and at least one sidewall;
• said at least one sidewall of said housing including an input opening extending therein through which exhaust by-products may pass from said process chamber into said interior compartment;
• means for attaching said housing to said exhaust port of said chamber such that when attached to said exhaust port, exhaust by-products in the process chamber may be evacuated therefrom through said input opening in said at least one sidewall of said housing;
• and
• wherein when said housing is attached to said exhaust port, said bottom wall of said housing collects particulate resulting from deposition of said exhaust by-product within the interior compartment of the housing, thereby preventing said particulate from becoming contaminant within the process chamber of the vertical furnace.

A contaminant trap for a vertical furnace having a process chamber With an exhaust port near an upper end of the chamber through which exhaust by-products from the process chamber may be evacuated, said contaminant trap comprising:

• a housing having at least one sidewall, a bottom wall and a top wall that together define an interior compartment;
• attachment means for attaching said housing to said exhaust port of said chamber such that when attached to said exhaust port, exhaust by-products in the process chamber may not be evacuated through the exhaust port around the housing;
• said enclosure having at least one input opening in said at least one sidewall through which exhaust by-products may pass from said process chamber into said interior compartment of said housing;
• said enclosure also having an output opening extending through one of said at least one sidewall and said top wall through which exhaust by-products within said interior compartment of said housing may be removed;
• and
• wherein when said housing is attached to said exhaust port, said bottom wall of said housing collects particulate resulting from deposition of exhaust by-products within said interior compartment of said housing, thereby preventing said particulate from becoming contaminant within the process chamber of the vertical furnace.

Apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers, said apparatus comprising:

• a vertical furnace having a process chamber with an exhaust port near an upper end of the chamber through which exhaust by-products from the process chamber may be evacuated;
• and
• a contaminant trap for the vertical furnace, said contaminant trap including
• (i) a housing having a solid bottom wall and at least one sidewall, said housing being sized for disposition within said exhaust port of said process chamber such that a portion of said at least one sidewall and said bottom wall extend into said process chamber, said housing having an interior compartment at least partially defined by said bottom wall and at least one sidewall,
• (ii) said at least one sidewall of said housing including an input opening extending therein through which exhaust by-products may pass from said process chamber into said interior compartment,
• (iii) means for attaching said housing to said exhaust port of said chamber such that when attached to said exhaust port, exhaust by-products in the process chamber may be evacuated therefrom through said input opening in said at least one sidewall of said housing,
• (iv) wherein when said housing is attached to said exhaust port, said bottom wall of said housing collects particulate resulting from deposition of said exhaust by-product within the interior compartment of the housing, thereby preventing said particulate from becoming contaminant within the process chamber of the vertical furnace.