Reactive chemical containment system
AssigneeMKS Instruments, Inc.
InventorsYoufan Gu, Paul Dozoretz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A small scale, but effective, reactive chemical containment system includes apparatus and methods for reaction of process gases exhausted from reaction furnaces with a reactant gas in a non-combustible manner to produce and contain particulate or powder byproducts, thereby removing the process gas from the exhaust gas flow. The apparatus provides process gas inlet, treatment reactive gas diffusion, process gas and treatment reactive gas pre-mixing, primary containment, secondary containment, and outlet zones.
Claims85
Reactive chemical containment apparatus, comprising:
- a primary containment chamber in which a process gas and a treatment reactive gas in a gas flow can be dispersed, mixed, and reacted together to produce solid reaction byproduct to thereby remove at least some of the process gas from the gas flow;
- a pre-mixing zone upstream from the primary containment chamber in which the process gas and the treatment reactive gas are combined together in a common gas flow into the primary containment chamber;
- a diffusion zone upstream from the pre-mixing zone;
- a treatment reactive gas inlet positioned to direct the treatment reactive gas into the diffusion zone;
- and
- a process gas inlet positioned to direct the process gas into the pre-mixing zone.
Reactive chemical containment system, comprising:
- a primary containment chamber in which a process gas and a treatment reactive gas in a gas flow can be dispersed, mixed, and reacted together to produce solid reaction byproduct to thereby remove at least some of the process gas from the gas flow;
- a pre-mixing zone upstream from the primary containment chamber in which the process gas and the treatment reactive gas are combined together in a common gas flow into the primary containment chamber;
- means for diffusing the treatment reactive gas uniformly in the pre-mixing zone;
- and
- means for flowing the process gas into the pre-mixing zone.
A method of removing process gas from an exhaust line of a chemical vapor deposition system, including:
- flowing the process gas from the exhaust line into an entry zone of a pre-mixing chamber;
- injecting a treatment reactive gas into a diffusion zone of a pre-mixing chamber and diffusing the treatment reactive gas in the pre-mixing chamber;
- allowing the process gas and the treatment reactive gas to begin mixing in a pre-mixing zone in the pre-mixing chamber as they flow into a primary containment chamber;
- creating turbulence in the gas flow in the primary containment chamber to thoroughly mix the process gas and the treatment reactive gas and dispersing the mixture throughout the primary containment chamber to react as much of the process gas with the treatment reactant gas as practical in the primary containment chamber;
- accumulating solid particulate or powder reaction byproduct in the primary containment chamber;
- flowing the gas flow into a secondary containment zone and creating turbulence in the secondary containment zone to thoroughly mix the process gas and the treatment reactive gas and dispersing the mixture throughout the secondary containment chamber to react the remainder of the process gas in the gas flow with the treatment reactant gas;
- accumulating solid particulate or powder reaction byproduct in the secondary containment chamber;
- and
- allowing the gas flow to exit the secondary reaction zone into a downstream exhaust line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.