Zero dead-leg gas control apparatus and method
US5657786A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 17, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 19, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 17, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T137/87893
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A gas cabinet manifold is free of dead-legs both during delivery of process gas to a semiconductor fabrication tool location and during purging of the manifold. The manifold includes three similar dual valve assembly blocks. Each valve assembly block includes two valves and each of the valves has a valve chamber in which are formed three ports. Each valve also includes a mechanism for selectively closing one of its three ports. Each of the valves has one of its non-closeable ports connected via a conduit to a corresponding non-closeable port of the other valve, and the other non-closeable ports are connected by a second conduit which is connected by a third conduit to a port by which gas may be introduced into the valve block. A vacuum venturi or other vacuum source is used to vent process gas from a high pressure area of the manifold by way of a pressure regulator and a low pressure area of the manifold. A valve block similar to those described above, but with manually actuated valves, is used in a purge gas manifold that is installed in association with the gas cabinet manifold.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.