Tokyo Electron Limited

Fujikin Inc.

Norikazu Sasaki

Atsushi Sawachi

Norihiko Amikura

Eiji Takahashi

Nobukazu Ikeda

Kouji Nishino

Ryousuke Dohi

Hiroshi Tsujimoto

Yohei Sawada

Hiroshi Koizumi

Risako Miyoshi

Kumiko Ono

Yoshiyasu Sato

Jun Yamashima

Kenichi Nogami

Yoshitaka Kawaguchi

A method for cleaning a process chamber of a processing apparatus including the process chamber and a gas supply mechanism. The gas supply mechanism includes a flow splitter, a first flow path communicating with an upstream end of the flow splitter, a first valve provided in the first flow path, a second flow path communicating with a downstream end of the flow splitter and connected to the process chamber, a second valve provided in the second flow path, a bypass flow path connecting the first flow path and the second flow path, and a bypass valve provided in the bypass flow path. The method includes a step of closing the first valve and the second valve and opening the bypass valve, and a step of cleaning the process chamber by introducing a gas through the bypass flow path into the process chamber after opening the bypass valve.

Cleaning method and processing apparatus

A gas supply system includes a first device to a third device. A plurality of integral units of the first device is configured to select one or more gases from one or more gas sources and supply the selected gases. The second device is configured to distribute plural gases from the integral units and supply the distributed gases while controlling flow rates of the distributed gases. The third device is configured to exhaust the gases within the gas supply system to a gas exhaust device.

Gas supply system, plasma processing apparatus, and operation method for plasma processing apparatus

Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus in which a main control unit is capable of managing the processing situation of an exhaust gas in an exhaust gas processing unit through a dilution controller. The exhaust gas processing unit includes a detoxifying device connected to the outlet of a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe, a dilution gas source connected to the exhaust pipe near the outlet of the vacuum pump through a dilution gas supply pipe, an MFC and an opening/closing valve installed at the middle of the dilution gas supply pipe, a gas sensor attached to the exhaust pipe on the downstream side of an end (node N) of the dilution gas supply pipe, and a dilution controller configured to control the MFC.

Method for preventing explosion of exhaust gas in decompression processing apparatus

A gas supply control method uses a pressure control flowmeter and first and second valves provided upstream and downstream, respectively, of the pressure control flowmeter in a gas supply line. The pressure control flowmeter includes a control valve and an orifice. The gas supply control method includes maintaining a pressure Pof a first gas supply pipe between the orifice and the control valve and a pressure Pof a second gas supply pipe between the orifice and the second valve so as to satisfy P&#x3e;2&#xd7;P. The supply of gas is controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the second valve with the first valve being open and the control valve being controlled. A volume Vof the first gas supply pipe and a volume Vof the second gas supply pipe have a relationship of V/V&#x2267;9.

Gas supply control method

An apparatus for dividing and supplying gas is provided with a flow rate control device, a plurality of divided flow passages of gas flowing from the flow rate control device, thermal-type mass flow sensors disposed to the divided flow passages, electrically-operated valves disposed on a downstream side of the thermal-type mass flow sensors, controllers that control the electrically-operated valves, and a flow ratio setting calculator that calculates a total flow rate, then calculates flow rates of the divided flow passages, and then inputs the calculated flow rates as set flow rates to each controllers. One of the divided flow passages with the highest set flow rate is put in an uncontrolled state, and opening degree for each of the rest divided flow passages is controlled, and then feedback control of the divided flow rate of each of the divided flow passages is implemented by each of the controllers.

Apparatus for dividing and supplying gas and method for dividing and supplying gas

A semiconductor processing system includes a control section that refers to recipe information on a process sequence, thereby detects that a processing apparatus will shift from an ordinary operation state to a long idle state, and switches thermo-medium circulation apparatus from an ordinary mode to an energy-saving mode after the shift to the long idle state. The control section refers to recipe information on the process sequence or another process sequence, thereby detects that the processing apparatus will shift from the long idle state to the ordinary operation state, and switches the thermo-medium circulation apparatus from the energy-saving mode to the ordinary mode before the shift to the ordinary operation state. A thermo-medium is circulated at a first flow rate and at a second flow rate smaller than the first flow rate in the ordinary mode and the energy-saving mode, respectively.

Method and system for controlling chiller and semiconductor processing system

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi, Japan

Norikazu Sasaki