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US 6,673,323 B1Granted
Treatment of hazardous gases in effluent
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsAshish Bhatnagar, Tony S. Kaushal, Kwok Manus Wong, Shamouil Shamouilian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing hazardous gases exhausted from a process chamber includes an effluent gas treatment system with a gas energizing reactor and an additive gas source. Additive gas comprising reactive gas is introduced into the effluent from the process chamber in a volumetric flow rate in relation to the hazardous gas content in the effluent.
Claims26
A method of treating an effluent gas from a chamber, the method comprising:
- (a) introducing a first additive gas into a reactor, the first additive gas comprising (i) an inert gas at a first volumetric flow rate that is sufficiently high to strike a plasma when energized with microwave or RF energy, the inert gas comprising Ar, Ne, He or Xe, and (ii) a reactive gas comprising a first volumetric flow rate of at least one oxygen containing gas having oxygen atoms;
- (b) changing the first volumetric flow rate of the inert gas to a second volumetric flow rate that is different from the first volumetric flow rate and is sufficiently low to sustain a stabilized plasma and introducing the reactive gas into the plasma such that the volumetric flow ratio of inert gas to reactive gas is from about 1:1 to about 2.9:1, the reactive gas comprising an oxygen containing gas having a second volumetric flow rate that is selected so that the first volumetric flow rate of the oxygen containing gas is from about 20% to about 50% of the second volumetric flow rate of the oxygen containing gas;
- and
- (c) introducing the effluent gas into the reactor;
- and
- (d) energizing the gases in the reactor.
3 more elements
A method of treating a chamber effluent gas comprising a hazardous gas, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) introducing the effluent gas into a reactor, the effluent gas comprising sulfur-containing gas having sulfur atoms;
- (b) introducing into the reactor, a first additive gas comprising (i) an inert gas comprising Ar, Ne, He or Xe, and (ii) a reactive gas comprising a first volumetric flow rate of at least one oxygen containing gas having oxygen atoms;
- (c) introducing into the reactor, a second additive gas comprising the inert gas and the reactive gas in a volumetric flow ratio of from about 1:1 to about 2.9:1, the oxygen containing gas having a second volumetric flow rate that is selected so that (i) the ratio of oxygen atoms in the second additive gas to sulfur atoms in the effluent gas is at least about 2.4:1, and (ii) the first volumetric flow rate is from about 20% to about 50% of the second volumetric flow rate;
- and
- (d) energizing the effluent and additive gas in the reactor to strike and sustain a stabilized plasma capable of reducing the content of the hazardous gas in the effluent gas.
2 more elements
A method of treating a chamber effluent gas comprising a hazardous gas, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) introducing the effluent gas into a reactor, the effluent gas comprising nitrogen containing gas having nitrogen atoms;
- (b) introducing into the reactor, a first additive gas comprising (i) an inert gas comprising Ar, Ne, He or Xe, and (ii) a reactive gas comprising a first volumetric flow rate of at least one oxygen containing gas having oxygen atoms;
- (c) introducing into the reactor, a second additive gas comprising the inert gas and the reactive gas in a volumetric flow ratio of from about 1:1 to about 2.9:1, the oxygen containing gas having a second volumetric flow rate that is selected so that (i) the ratio of oxygen atoms in the second additive gas to nitrogen atoms in the effluent gas is at least about 2.4:1, and (ii) the first volumetric flow rate is from about 20% to about 50% of the second volumetric flow rate;
- and
- (d) energizing the effluent and additive gas in the reactor to strike and sustain a stabilized plasma capable of reducing the content of the hazardous gas in the effluent gas.
2 more elements
A method of treating a chamber effluent gas comprising a hazardous gas having carbon atoms, the method comprising:
- (a) introducing the effluent gas into a reactor;
- (b) introducing into the reactor, a first additive gas comprising (i) an inert gas comprising Ar, Ne, He or Xe, and (ii) a reactive gas comprising a first volumetric flow rate of oxygen containing gas having oxygen atoms;
- (c) introducing into the reactor, a second additive gas comprising the inert gas and the reactive gas in a volumetric flow ratio of from about 1:1 to about 2.9:1, the oxygen containing gas having a second volumetric flow rate that is selected so that (i) the ratio of oxygen atoms in the second additive gas to carbon atoms in the effluent gas is at least about 2.4:1, and (ii) the first volumetric flow rate is from about 20% to about 50% of the second volumetric flow rate;
- and
- (d) coupling RF energy to the effluent and additive gas in the reactor to strike and sustain a stabilized plasma in the reactor to reduce the content of the hazardous gas in the effluent gas.
2 more elements
A method of treating a chamber effluent gas comprising a hazardous gas comprising carbon atoms, the method comprising:
- (a) introducing the effluent gas into a reactor;
- (b) introducing into the reactor, a first additive gas comprising (i) an inert gas comprising Ar, Ne, He or Xe, and (ii) a reactive gas comprising a first volumetric flow rate of at least one oxygen containing gas having oxygen atoms;
- (c) introducing into the reactor, a second additive gas comprising the inert gas and the reactive gas in a volumetric flow ratio of from about 1:1 to about 2.9:1, the oxygen containing gas having a second volumetric flow rate that is selected so that (i) the ratio of oxygen atoms in the additive gas to carbon atoms in the hazardous gas is at least about 2.4:1, and (ii) the first volumetric flow rate is from about 20% to about 50% of the second volumetric flow rate;
- and
- (d) coupling microwave or RF energy to the effluent and additive gas in the reactor to energize the effluent gas and the additive gas to strike and sustain a plasma capable of reducing the content of hazardous gas in the effluent gas.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.