Inventor's Corner
09/01/2001
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Airflow control valve
This airflow control valve for a cleanroom has a duct section with a damper positioned within the duct. The damper is capable of an adjustment from an open position to a closed position. The opening and closing of the duct is accomplished through a magnetic coupling such that the duct can remain sealed during operation. The airflow control valve includes a sensor for measuring the airflow rate, so that the duct can be adjusted to maintain one or more predetermined flow rate set points.
Patent number: 6,192,922
Date granted: February 27, 2001
Inventors: Bruce S. MacGibbon, Mark C. Wolochuk, Lee I. Wolochuk, Christopher P. Sirovy, James F. LeBaron and Jeffrey W. Yarroll, Synetics Solutions Inc. (Tigard, OR)
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Reducing particle contamination during wafer transport
The invention provides a method and apparatus for reducing particle contamination during the processing of a substrate. The preheated substrate is transferred from the preheater to a buffer region having a pressure therein that is between about 2 Torr and about 760 Torr. The preheated substrate is transferred from the buffer region to a reaction chamber. Thermophoretic forces help repel particles away from the substrate surface.
Patent number: 6,192,601
Date granted: February 27, 2001
Inventors: Steve G. Ghanayem and Madhavi Chandrachood, Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, CA)
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Dry cleaning process
The invention provides a method for cleaning a contaminated chamber used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of injecting, under pressure, a gas mixture of a fluorine-containing gas and an inert gas into the contaminated chamber, radiating the contaminated chamber with a radio frequency during the step of injecting and removing volatile by-products or solid particles from the contaminated chamber.
Patent number: 6,197,699
Date granted: March 6, 2001
Inventors: Larry B. Fritzinger, Cynthia C. Lee, Edward M. Middlebrook, and John M. Sniegowski, Lucent Technologies Inc. (Murray Hill, NJ)
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ESD-free container
The electrostatic discharge-free (ESD-free) container for storing electrically insulating articles consists of a container body formed of a top lid, a bottom lid and four sidewall panels.
The lids and the sidewall panels are formed of an electrically insulating material, such as a polymeric material. Inside the container, at least four support means are mounted on the bottom lid in a spaced-apart relationship. Each of the support means has a base portion for engaging the bottom lid and a roller portion for engaging and supporting an electrically insulating article thereon. The base portion and the roller portion are formed of an electrically conductive material such as a metal particle loaded plastic for electrical communications between the two portions and with a grounding wire.
Patent number: 6,196,391
Date granted: March 6, 2001
Inventor: Meng Chun Li, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (Hsin Chu, Taiwan)
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Airborne contaminant indicator
The system provides a visual indicator of the cumulative level of an airborne contaminant. The indicator is a transparent sheath with support medium that have an acidic surface and are treated with a color pH indicator. As a basic contaminant is absorbed by the medium, the medium changes color. As additional contaminant is absorbed, the color front progresses the length of the indicator.
The indicator system can be used with an adsorptive filter system to predict the life of adsorption bed assemblies. A sample flow is taken upstream of the adsorption beds and is passed through the indicator. Preferably, the flow rate is calibrated so that the rate of the color change in the indicator is proportional to the rate of depletion of the adsorption bed. The user can make an accurate prediction of the adsorption bed life by monitoring the indicator.
Patent number: 6,187,596
Date granted: February 13, 2001
Inventors: Andrew J. Dallas, Kristine Marie Graham and Timothy H. Grafe, Donaldson Company Inc. (Minneapolis, MN)
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Clean transfer method
The invention relates to a clean box constructed so that objects can be transferred in a sealed state with a clean gas objects can be stored in a sealed state with a non-oxidizing gas to prevent oxidation of the objects to be transferred.
The structure has an aperture in one side surface, a side lid for hermetically closing the aperture and gas inlet and outlet valves. The gas inlet and outlet valves are opened by a gas feeding/discharging mechanism in a state in which the aperture of the box body is closed by the side lid.
Patent number: 6,199,604
Date granted: March 13, 2001
Inventor: Toshihiko Miyajima, TDK Corporation (Tokyo, Japan)