Method and apparatus for reducing perfluorocompound gases from substrate processing equipment emissions

US6187072A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• David Cheung · Foster City, US
• Sebastien Raoux · San Francisco, US
• Judy H. Huang · Los Gatos, US
• William Taylor · Dublin, US
• Mark Fodor · Los Gatos, US
• Kevin Fairbairn · Saratoga, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 30, 1996
• Grant date: Feb 13, 2001
• Expiry date: Oct 30, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P70/50
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

An apparatus for converting PFC gases exhausted from semiconductor processing equipment to less harmful, non-PFC gases. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a silicon filter and a plasma generation system. The plasma generation system forms a plasma from the effluent PFC gases. Constituents from the plasma react with silicon and/or oxygen in the filter and convert the effluent PFC gases to less harmful, non-PFC gaseous products and byproducts. Another embodiment includes a plasma generation system and a particle trapping and collection system. The particle trapping and collection system traps silicon containing residue from deposition processes that produces such residue, and the plasma generation system forms a plasma from the effluent PFC gases. Constituents from the plasma react with the collected residue to convert the effluent PFC gases to less harmful, non-PFC gaseous products and byproducts.