Gas cabinet assembly comprising sorbent-based gas storage and delivery system
AssigneeAdvanced Technology Materials, Inc.
InventorsGlenn M. Tom, James V. McManus
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas supply system including a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold. The enclosure may be maintained under low or negative pressure conditions for enhanced safety in the event of leakage of gas from the gas storage and dispensing vessel(s) in the enclosure. The gas supply system may be coupled to a gas-consuming unit in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, e.g., an ion implanter, an etch chamber, or a chemical vapor deposition reactor.
Claims66
A process for supplying a gas reagent, comprising:
- providing a storage and dispensing vessel containing a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a physically sorptive affinity for said gas reagent;
- physically sorptively loading on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium a sorbate gas, to yield a sorbate gas-loaded physical sorbent medium;
- mounting the storage and dispensing vessel in a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold;
- coupling the gas storage and dispensing vessel in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold;
- selectively desorbing sorbate gas from the sorbate gas-loaded physical sorbent medium, by reduced pressure desorption, for flow of desorbed sorbate gas into the gas dispensing manifold and dispensing thereof;
- wherein the solid-phase physical sorbent medium is devoid of trace components selected from the group consisting of water. metals and oxidic transition metal species in a sufficient concentration to decompose the sorbate gas in said storage and dispensing vessel.
A process for supplying a gas reagent, comprising:
- providing a storage and dispensing vessel containing a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a physically sorptive affinity for said gas reagent;
- physically sorptively- loading on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium a sorbate gas, to yield a sorbate gas-loaded physical sorbent medium;
- mounting the storage and dispensing vessel in a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold;
- coupling the gas storage and dispensing vessel in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold;
- and
- selectively desorbing sorbate gas from the sorbate gas-loaded physical sorbent medium, by reduced pressure desorption, for flow of desorbed sorbate gas into the gas dispensing manifold and dispensing thereof;
- wherein the solid-phase physical sorbent medium concentration of trace components selected from the group consisting of water, metals, and oxidic transition metal species, based on the weight of the physical sorbent medium, is insufficient to cause decomposition of the sorbate gas resulting in more than a 25% rise in interior pressure after 1 week at 25° C. in said storage and dispensing vessel.
An adsorption-desorption process for storage and dispensing of boron trifluoride, said process comprising:
- providing a storage and dispensing vessel containing a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a physically sorptive affinity for boron trifluoride;
- physically sorptively loading boron trifluoride on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium, to yield a boron trifluoride-loaded physical sorbent medium;
- mounting the storage and dispensing vessel in a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold;
- coupling the gas storage and dispensing vessel in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold;
- and
- selectively desorbing boron trifluoride from the boron trifluoride-loaded physical sorbent medium, by reduced pressure desorption, for flow of desorbed boron trifluoride gas into the gas dispensing manifold and dispensing thereof.
A process for supplying a gas reagent, comprising:
- providing a storage and dispensing vessel containing a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a physically sorptive affinity for said gas reagent;
- physically sorptively loading on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium a sorbate gas, to yield a sorbate gas-loaded physical sorbent medium;
- mounting the storage and dispensing vessel in a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold;
- coupling the gas storage and dispensing vessel in gas flow communication with a cryopump;
- coupling the cryopump in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold;
- selectively desorbing sorbate gas from the sorbate gas-loaded physical sorbent medium, by pressure-differential mediated desorption, for flow of desorbed sorbate gas to the cryopump;
- and
- cryopumping the desorbed gas from the storage and dispensing vessel to a predetermined pressure, wherein said predetermined pressure is higher than pressure of the desorbed gas flowed out of the storage and dispensing vessel.
A gas supply system comprising:
- a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold, wherein each adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessel in the enclosure comprises:
- a storage and dispensing vessel constructed and arranged for holding a solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and for selectively flowing gas into and out of said vessel;
- a solid-phase physical sorbent medium disposed in said storage and dispensing vessel at an interior gas pressure;
- a sorbate gas physically adsorbed on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium;
- the gas dispensing manifold being coupled in gas flow communication with the storage and dispensing vessel, and constructed and arranged to provide, exteriorly of said storage and dispensing vessel, a pressure below said interior pressure, to effect desorption of sorbate gas from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and gas flow of desorbed gas through the dispensing assembly;
- wherein the solid-phase physical sorbent medium is devoid of trace components selected from the group consisting of water, metals, and oxidic transition metal species in a concentration which is sufficient to decompose the sorbate gas in said storage and dispensing vessel.
A gas supply system comprising a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and ore or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold, each said adsorbent-based storage and dispensing vessel comprising:
- a storage and dispensing vessel constructed and arranged for holding a solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and for selectively flowing gas into and out of said vessel;
- a solid-phase physical sorbent medium disposed in said storage and dispensing vessel at an interior gas pressure;
- a sorbate gas physically adsorbed on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium;
- the gas dispensing manifold being coupled in gas flow communication with the storage and dispensing vessel, and constructed and arranged to provide, exteriorly of said storage and dispensing vessel, a pressure below said interior pressure, to effect desorption of sorbate gas from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and gas flow of desorbed gas through the dispensing assembly;
- wherein the solid-phase physical sorbent medium concentration of trace components selected from the group consisting of water, metals, and oxidic transition metal species, based on the weight of the physical sorbent medium, is insufficient to cause decomposition of the sorbate gas resulting in more than a 5% rise in interior pressure after 1 week at 25° C. in said storage and dispensing vessel.
A boron trifluoride gas supply system comprising a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold, each said adsorbent-based storage and dispensing vessel comprising:
- a storage and dispensing vessel constructed and arranged for holding a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a sorptive affinity for boron trifluoride, and for selectively flowing boron trifluoride into and out of said vessel;
- a solid-phase physical sorbent medium having a sorptive affinity for boron trifluoride, disposed in said storage and dispensing vessel at an interior gas pressure;
- boron trifluoride gas, physically adsorbed on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium;
- and
- the gas dispensing manifold coupled in gas flow communication with the storage and dispensing vessel, being constructed and arranged to provide, exteriorly of said storage and dispensing vessel, a pressure below said interior pressure, to effect desorption of boron trifluoride gas from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and gas flow of desorbed boron trifluoride gas through the gas dispensing manifold.
An ion implantation system, comprising a reagent source for reagent source material and an ion implantation apparatus coupled in gas flow communication with said reagent source, and wherein the reagent source comprises:
- a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold, each said adsorbent-based storage and dispensing vessel comprising:
- a storage and dispensing vessel constructed and arranged for holding a solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and for selectively flowing gas into and out of said vessel;
- a solid-phase physical sorbent medium disposed in said storage and dispensing vessel at an interior gas pressure;
- a sorbate gas physically adsorbed on said solid-phase physical sorbent medium;
- and
- the gas dispensing manifold being at least a part of flow circuitry interconnecting the storage and dispensing vessel and said ion implantation apparatus in gas flow communication with one another, said flow circuitry being constructed and arranged to provide, exteriorly of said storage and dispensing vessel, a pressure below said interior pressure, to effect desorption of sorbate gas from the solid-phase physical sorbent medium, and gas flow of desorbed gas through the flow circuitry to the ion implantation apparatus;
- wherein the solid-phase physical sorbent medium is devoid of trace components selected from the group consisting of water, metals and oxidic transition metal species in a sufficient concentration to decompose the sorbate gas in said storage and dispensing vessel.
A gas supply system comprising a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold, with a cryopump coupled to said gas dispensing manifold for pressurizing desorbed gas withdrawn from the adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels and discharging the resultingly pressurized gas.
A gas supply system comprising a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold, comprising a thermal monitoring and control assembly for maintaining predetermined temperature characteristics of the gas supply system.
A semiconductor manufacturing facility, comprising:
- a gas supply system comprising a gas cabinet defining an enclosure including therein a gas dispensing manifold and one or more adsorbent-based gas storage and dispensing vessels mounted in the enclosure and joined in gas flow communication with the gas dispensing manifold;
- and
- a semiconductor manufacturing process unit arranged for use of gas from said gas supply system, and interconnected with the gas supply system by flow circuitry including said gas dispensing manifold for flow of gas from the gas supply system to the semiconductor manufacturing process unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.