Method for unreacted precursor conversion and effluent removal
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsJohn Vincent Schmitt, Ling Chen, George Michael Bleyle, Yu Cong, Alfred Mak, Mei Chang
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Abstract
A hot trap converts unreacted organic metal-film precursor from the exhaust stream of a CVD process. The converted precursor forms a metal film on the surface of the hot trap, thereby protecting hot vacuum pump surfaces from metal build up. A cold trap downstream from the hot trap freezes effluents from the exhaust stream. The metal captured by the hot trap and the effluents captured by the cold trap may then be recycled, rather than being released as environmental emissions.
Claims34
A method for converting unreacted metal-film precursor from an effluent stream and abating emissions from a chemical vapor deposition chamber, the method comprising:
- (a) flowing the effluent stream over a hot surface of a hot trap, the hot surface being maintained at a first temperature;
- (b) forming a metal film and an emission product from the unreacted metal-film precursor, the metal film being formed on the hot surface and the emission product being volatile at the first temperature and freezing at a second temperature;
- (c) thereafter, flowing the effluent stream over a cold surface of a cold trap, the cold surface being maintained at or below the second temperature;
- and
- (d) freezing the emission product onto the cold surface.
A method for abating and recovery of effluents from a copper CVD process, comprising:
- (a) flowing an effluent stream from the copper CVD process over a hot surface of a hot trap, the hot surface being maintained at a first temperature, wherein said effluent stream includes an unreacted copper precursor;
- (b) forming a copper film, a first emission product and a second emission product from the unreacted copper precursor, the copper film being formed on the hot surface and the first and second emission products being volatile at the first temperature and the first emission product freezing at a second temperature;
- (c) thereafter, flowing the effluent stream over a cold surface of a cold trap, the cold surface being maintained at or below the second temperature;
- and
- (d) freezing the first emission product onto the cold surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.