Joint assembly for connecting two tubes
AssigneeASM International N.V.
InventorsChristianus Gerardus Maria De Ridder, Pieter Johannes Quintus Van Voorst Vader
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A joint assembly for connecting two ceramic material tubes has a cup-ball interface. One of the tubes has at a first end a cup shaped member, and the other tube has at a first end a ball shaped member adapted to be received in the cup shaped member. The ball shaped member and the cup shaped member define the cup-ball interface. The cup shaped member is provided with a gas feed channel discharging at a first end into an annular groove at the cup-ball interface. At the other end, the cup shaped member is connected to a conduit outside the cup shaped member. The conduit is connected to an inert gas source having a pressure above atmospheric pressure.
Claims11
A joint assembly for connecting two ceramic material tubes, wherein one of the tubes comprises at a first end a cup shaped member and the other tube comprises at a first end a ball shaped member adapted to be received in the cup shaped member, so as to define a cup-ball interface, the cup shaped member being provided with a gas feed channel discharging at a first end into an annular groove at the cup-ball interface and at the other end connected to a conduit outside the cup shaped member, the conduit being connected to an inert gas source having a pressure above atmospheric pressure.
A method for operating a furnace, comprising:
- providing a ceramic material furnace tube in which a substrate is processed and through which a processing gas is flowed;
- connecting a ceramic material discharge tube to the furnace tube through a ball joint discharging processing gas and reactants through the ball joint comprising a ball and a cup and defining a gap therebetween;
- and
- introducing an inert gas having a super atmospheric pressure between the cup and the ball of the ball joint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.