METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVELY COUPLING PROCESS TOOLS TO ABATEMENT REACTORS

• US 20070169889A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Clark, Daniel, Raoux, Sebastien, Vermeulen, Robert, Crawford, Shaun
• Application Number:
  US11/555,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20070169889A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.290
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/104 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/106 Peroxides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/2062 Ammonia
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/0216 from CVD treatment or semi-conductor manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/38 Removing components of undefined structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/68 Halogens or halogen compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/74 General processes for purification of waste gases; Apparatus or devices specially adapted therefor B01D53/92 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/79 Injecting reactants
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/8659 Removing halogens or halogen compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/8662 Organic halogen compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 7/02 Disposition of air supply not passing through burner to obtain a cyclonic tapering flame when burning pulverulent fuel F23C5/32
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 2900/00016 Preventing or reducing deposit build-up on burner parts, e.g. from carbon
• CPC Class Codes: F23G 7/065 using gaseous or liquid fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F23M 5/00 Casings; Linings; Walls

Abstract

In certain embodiments, an apparatus is provided for use in removing pollutants from a gas stream. The apparatus may include one or more thermal reaction units formed from a plurality of stacked porous ceramic rings. The thermal reaction units may be selectively coupled to one or more process tools. In some embodiments a manifold may be used to direct waste effluent toward online primary thermal reaction units and away from back-up thermal reaction units. If a primary thermal reaction unit goes off-line, the manifold may redirect waste effluent toward one or more of the back-up thermal reaction units. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A system for manufacturing electronic devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of processing tools;

an abatement system for abating pollutants from the processing tools, the abatement system having a plurality of inlet ports; and

a manifold for coupling pollutant outlet ports of the plurality of processing tools to the plurality of inlet ports of the abatement system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the abatement system includes at least one of a thermal reaction chamber and a quenching unit.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of inlet ports of the abatement system include at least one first inlet port and at least one second inlet port.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the first inlet port is coupled to a first processing tool via the manifold and the second inlet port is coupled to a second processing tool via the manifold.

5. A system for manufacturing electronic devices, the system comprising:

a processing tool;

an abatement system for abating pollutants from the processing tool, the abatement system including a plurality of chambers, each chamber including a plurality of inlet ports; and

a manifold for coupling a pollutant outlet port of the processing tool to the plurality of inlet ports of the abatement system.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the chambers of the abatement system include at least one of a thermal reaction chamber and a quenching unit.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the plurality of inlet ports of each of the chambers include at least one primary inlet port and at least one back-up inlet port.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the back-up inlet port is coupled to the manifold and available for use to receive pollutants redirected from an unavailable chamber.

9. A system for manufacturing electronic devices, the system comprising:

a plurality of processing tools;

an abatement system for abating pollutants from the processing tools, the abatement system including a plurality of chambers, each chamber including a plurality of inlet ports; and

a manifold for selectively coupling pollutant outlet ports of the plurality of processing tools to the plurality of inlet ports of the chambers of the abatement system.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the chambers of the abatement system include at least one of a thermal reaction chamber and a quenching unit.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the manifold is adapted to distribute the pollutants from the plurality of processing tools among the chambers of the abatement system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the manifold is further adapted to apportion the pollutants among the chambers of the abatement system.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the manifold is further adapted to direct pollutants to chambers of the abatement system based upon availability of the individual chambers.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the manifold is further adapted to receive status information regarding the individual chambers, and to direct pollutants to chambers of the abatement system based on the status information.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the chambers individually have an abatement capacity, the chambers collectively have a total abatement capacity, the processing tools individually generate a pollutant output load, the processing tools collectively generate a total pollutant output load, and wherein the total abatement capacity exceeds the total pollutant output load.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein a combined abatement capacity of a subset of the chambers exceeds the total pollutant output load such that if a chamber were to become unavailable the manifold may redirect the pollutants from the processing tools to a subset of the chambers excluding the unavailable chamber without the total pollutant output load exceeding the combined abatement capacity of the subset of the chambers.

17. The system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of inlet ports of each of the chambers include at least one primary inlet port and at least one back-up inlet port.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the back-up inlet port is coupled to the manifold and available for use to receive pollutants redirected from an unavailable chamber.

19. The system of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of processing tools is associated with at least one of the chambers, and

wherein at least one of the plurality of chambers is designated as a back-up chamber not associated with anyone of the processing tools, and

wherein the back-up chamber includes a plurality of inlet ports coupled to each of the processing tools via the manifold which is adapted to direct pollutants to the back-up chamber only if one of the chambers associated with a processing tool becomes unavailable.

20. The system of claim 9 wherein the abatement system is adapted to decompose and convert gaseous pollutants in a gaseous waste stream.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the chambers of the abatement system may include an upper thermal reaction chamber and a lower reaction chamber.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the upper thermal reaction chamber may include:

an outer exterior wall,

an interior porous wall that defines a central decomposition and conversion chamber,

a fluid inlet for introducing one or more fluids into the central decomposition and conversion chamber,

thermal means for decomposing and converting the gaseous waste stream to form reaction products, and

a waste gas inlet for conducting the gaseous waste stream into the upper thermal reaction chamber.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the interior porous wall defines an interior annular space.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the lower reaction chamber may include:

a gas stream flow chamber in fluid communication with the central decomposition and conversion chamber, and

at least one oxidant inlet disposed to introduce an oxidant to the gas stream flow chamber.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the waste gas inlet includes a conduit that terminates within the central decomposition and conversion chamber.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein a portion of the conduit that terminates within the central decomposition and conversion chamber is located within a tube which projects beyond an end of the conduit to define a chamber within the tube for flame formation.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the tube includes an open end in fluid communication with the central decomposition and conversion chamber.

28. An apparatus for use during the abatement of a semiconductor manufacturing process comprising:

a plurality of chambers, each chamber including a plurality of waste stream inlet ports; and

a manifold for selectively coupling pollutant outlet ports of a plurality of processing tools to the plurality of waste stream inlet ports of the chambers.