# US 5,330,577 A · Semiconductor fabrication equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,330,577 A - Document ID: US5330577A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 07/934,759 - Filed: 1992-10-27 - Granted: 1994-07-19 - Earliest claimed: 1992-10-27 - Assignees: Semiconductor Process Laboratory Co., Ltd.; Canon Sales Co., Inc.; Alcan-Tech Co., Inc. - Inventors: Kazuo Maeda; Kouichi Ohira; Mitsuo Hirose - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5330577A ## CPC - H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)} - C23C 16/4407: {Cleaning of reactor or reactor parts by using wet or mechanical methods} - Y10S 148/017: Clean surfaces - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - 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) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A semiconductor fabrication apparatus for forming a film on a wafer by a CVD method provides for easy removal of the dust generated in a film-forming chamber without reducing the uptime/downtime ratio of the equipment. The apparatus includes one or more gas dispersing devices having gas releasing surfaces for releasing a reaction gas to form a film on a wafer; one or more wafer holders having wafer mounting surfaces opposed to the plane defined by the gas releasing surface; and one or more cleaners, each having a suction port and a brush connected to the suction port, provided opposing the gas releasing surface. Either the cleaner or the gas dispersing device is moved so that the brush contacts and traverses the gas releasing surface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor fabrication apparatus comprising: wafer holding means for holding a wafer on a wafer mounting surface; at least one gas dispersing device having a gas releasing surface adapted to release a reaction gas for forming a film on the wafer; at least one cleaner, fixed to said wafer holder means, having a suction port and a brush connected to said suction port; and means for moving said cleaner or said gas dispersing device so that said brush contacts and traverses said gas releasing surface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotary shaft and a plurality of said wafer holder means fixed to said rotary shaft around its circumference, whereby said plurality of wafer holder means rotate in a plane parallel to a plane defined by said gas releasing surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotary shaft and a plurality of said gas dispersing devices fixed to said rotary shaft around its circumference, whereby said plurality of gas dispersing devices rotate in a plane parallel to a plane defined by said wafer mounting surface. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two of said cleaners are mounted on opposite sides of said wafer holder means. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said cleaner is mounted fixed to said rotary shaft, separate from said wafer holders, and is positioned between at least one pair of adjacent wafer holder means. ### Claim 6 A semiconductor fabrication apparatus comprising: a plurality of wafer holders for holding wafers arranged in a first planar array around an axis; a plurality of gas dispersing devices, each gas dispersing having a gas releasing surface adapted to release a reaction gas for forming a film on the wafer, said plurality of gas dispersing devices being arranged in a second planar array around said axis parallel to said first planar array; at least one cleaner, fixed to at least one of said wafer holders, having a suction port and a brush connected to said suction port; and means for rotating one of said planar arrays relative to the other so that said brush contacts and traverses said gas releasing surfaces. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said axis is defined by a rotary shaft to which said plurality of wafer holders are fixed around its circumference and wherein said rotating means rotatably drives said rotary shaft. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said axis is defined by a rotary shaft to which said plurality of gas dispersing devices are fixed around its circumference and wherein said rotating means rotatably drives said rotary shaft. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 6 wherein two of said cleaners are mounted on opposite sides of at least one of said wafer holders. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) A semiconductor fabrication apparatus according to claim 6 comprising a plurality of pairs of said cleaners, each pair of said cleaners being mounted on opposing sides of one of said wafer holders. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) A semiconductor apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said one cleaner is mounted fixed to said rotary shaft, separate from said wafer holders, in a position between at least one pair of adjacent wafer holders.