Edwards Limited

Duncan Michael Price

Andrew James Seeley

Ian David Stones

Gary Peter Knight

Christopher Mark Bailey

Michael Roger Czerniak

Gareth David Stanton

Darren Mennie

Derek Martin Baker

Ingo Stephen Graham

Clive Marcus Lloyd Tunna

Jack Raymond Tattersall

Geoffrey Young

Mayank Verma

Michael Colin Graham

A method of optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus configured to treat an effluent stream from a processing tool and an abatement apparatus are disclosed. The method of optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus configured to treat an effluent stream from a processing tool comprises: determining a concentration of carbon monoxide produced by the abatement apparatus when treating the effluent stream; and adjusting an operating parameter of the abatement apparatus in response to the concentration of carbon monoxide. In this way, the performance of the abatement device can be controlled by simply adjusting the operating parameters of the abatement device in response to the amount of carbon monoxide being produced to create conditions within the abatement apparatus which improve the removal of compounds being treated within the abatement device, while reducing undesirable by-products and without requiring advanced knowledge of the content of the effluent stream.

Optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus

A method for fabricating a component of an abatement apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises: meshing a 3D model representation of a component defining a reaction chamber of an abatement apparatus based on specified component characteristics to define an optimised finite element representation of the component; and fabricating the optimised finite element representation. In this way, a 3D model of a component of an abatement apparatus can be generated from which its performance can be modelled. Particular characteristics of the component may be defined which affect the operation of the abatement apparatus. Those characteristics may then be used to generate the optimized finite element representation of the component which has those characteristics using meshing (it will be appreciated that meshing is the operation of representing a geometric object as a set of finite elements). The optimized finite element representation may then fabricated, reliably producing a component having the required characteristics.

Method for fabricating a component of an abatement apparatus

A packed tower includes a packed tower housing having an inlet for receiving an effluent stream; an outlet for venting the effluent stream; a packed substrate housed within the packed tower housing between the inlet and the outlet, the packed substrate being configured to entrain at least some of particles from a fluid as the effluent stream flows therethrough; and a fan housed within the packed tower housing, the fan being configured to propel the effluent stream from the inlet towards the outlet and to remove at least some of the particles from the fluid. The fan helps to generate a negative pressure to draw the effluent stream into the packed tower and through the packed substrate, which reduces the back pressure improves the flow of effluent stream through the packed tower and upstream abatement apparatus and helps to improve the removal of particles from within the effluent stream.

Packed tower

A method of fabricating a burner element for an abatement apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises: injection moulding a charge comprising metal particles and a flow compound into a mould defining the burner element to produce a moulded burner element; and sintering the moulded burner element. In this way, injection moulding is used to produce the burner element, which provides far more flexibility regarding the design and properties of the burner element and avoids the necessity of incorporating a perforated support into the burner element. This allows burner elements of more intricate design to be produced, as well as burner elements which are thinner than those produced using existing techniques, which increases the volume of a combustion chamber defined by that burner element for any external burner element size, which in turn increases the amount of effluent gas that can be treated for any burner size.

Burner element fabrication using injection moulding and consequent sintering

A radiant burner for treating an effluent gas stream from a manufacturing processing tool includes a plurality of treatment chambers, each treatment chamber having an effluent stream inlet for supplying a respective portion of the effluent gas stream to that treatment chamber for treatment therewithin. In this way, multiple treatment chambers may be provided, each of which treats part of the effluent stream. Accordingly, the number of treatment chambers can be selected to match the flow rate of the effluent gas stream from any particular processing tool. This provides an architecture which is reliably scalable to suit the needs of any effluent gas stream flow rate.

Radiant burner

A purge gas feeding means, an abatement system comprising such a means and a method of modifying an abatement system to include such a purge gas feeding means is disclosed. The purge gas feeding means comprises a plurality of paths running from an outer perimeter of the purge gas feeding means to an inner surface, the inner surface comprising a purge gas outlet for outputting the purge gas into the abatement system; wherein a cross sectional area of the plurality of paths increases from the outer perimeter to the inner surface such that a pressure of the purge gas falls flowing along the paths drops.

Purge gas feeding means, abatement systems and methods of modifying abatement systems

Venturi Scrubbers are used to separate particulate from a large range of fluids. Many provide additional liquid and/or gas to drive the fluid and aid in the removal of particulate. The present invention provides a liquid ring pump through which the fluid to be treated is first passed and then exhausted, with additional work fluid to a Venturi scrubber such that the particulate can be separated from the exhaust fluid.

Abatement system

The abatement apparatus includes a porous element at least partially defining a treatment chamber and through which treatment materials pass for introduction into the treatment chamber for treatment of an effluent gas stream; and an infra-red heating device operable to emit infra-red energy to heat the porous element which heats the treatment materials as they pass through the porous element into the treatment chamber. In this way, infra-red energy, rather than combustion, can be used to raise the temperature within the treatment chamber in order to treat the effluent gas stream. This allows the apparatus to be used in environments where no fuel gas exists or where the provision of fuel gas is considered undesirable. Also, heating the treatment materials as they pass through the porous sleeve, rather than simply using radiant heat to heat the treatment chamber enables significantly more energy to be imparted into the treatment materials.

Abatement apparatus

Liquid ring pumps are used to pump a variety of fluid types. Corrosive fluids are easily handled by the work fluid but can cause corrosion of pumping mechanisms. The present invention provides a magnetically driven liquid ring pump with corrosion resistant pumping mechanisms which achieves a longer time between service intervals.

Liquid ring pump

Dry pumps are used to pump a variety of gas mixtures from the semiconductor industry. The present invention provides a liquid ring pump located between the dry pump and an abatement device to remove soluble corrosive materials prior to the exhaust gases entry to the abatement device, the work fluid exhausted from the liquid ring pump being separated from the gas prior to entry to the abatement device.

Apparatus for evacuating a corrosive effluent gas stream from a processing chamber

An inlet assembly for a burner includes an inlet nozzle defining an inlet aperture coupleable with an inlet conduit providing an effluent gas stream for treatment by the burner, a non-circular outlet aperture, and a nozzle bore extending along a longitudinal axis between the inlet aperture and the outlet aperture for conveying the effluent gas stream from the inlet aperture to the outlet aperture for delivery to the combustion chamber of the burner.

Effluent gas inlet assembly for radiant burner

Liquid ring pumps are used to pump a variety of fluid types. The present invention provides a two stage liquid ring pump through which an exhaust gas comprising compounds to be destroyed is passed. The exhaust gas passes through the first stage to a gas abatement device, following which it is passed back to the second stage of the liquid ring pump for removal of the compounds formed in said abatement device. The stages of the liquid ring pump may be adjustable.

A radiant burner and method are disclosed. The radiant burner is for treating an effluent gas stream from a manufacturing process tool and comprises: a combustion chamber having a porous sleeve through which combustion materials pass for combustion proximate to a combustion surface of the porous sleeve; a combustion characteristic monitor operable to determine combustion performance of the radiant burner by monitoring infra-red radiation emitted from the combustion surface; and a radiant burner controller operable to control operation of the radiant burner in dependence upon combustion performance determined by the combustion characteristic monitor. Accordingly, aspects recognize that if a burner is suffering from an excessive flow of air the burner pad or combustion surface will typically cool, which results in an increase in unwanted emissions in the exhaust produced by a radiant burner. The cooling also results in a reduction in infrared radiation determined by the combustion surface. The hydrogen flame of the radiant burner and the hydrocarbon flame of the burner pilot typically do not emit infrared radiation and thus a change in infra-red an radiation, for example, intensity, quantity or frequency, emitted by the combustion surface of the radiant burner can be used to diagnose an 'overflow' of cold gas, typically air, in the combustion mixture fed into the system, for example, the combustion chamber. Once diagnosed appropriate ameliorative steps may be taken and, for example, the burner control logic may be operable to compensate by reducing air flow into the burner.

Growing community of inventors

Clevedon, United Kingdom

Duncan Michael Price