Fujitsu Corporation

Shinko Seiki Company, Limited

Yuuji Matoba

Shuzo Fujimura

Tatsuya Takeuchi

Keisuke Shinagawa

Takeshi Miyanaga

Yoshimasa Nakano

A steam supplying apparatus for supplying steam to an ashing process. The apparatus includes a closed water-containing vessel formed from a material having good heat conductive characteristics for evaporating water to provide steam to a vacuum chamber housing an on going ashing process. The closed vessel has a maximum horizontal cross sectional water evaporation area M and a minimum horizontal cross sectional water evaporation area S. The vessel is configured so that M/S&lt;8, and the closed vessel has a submerged inside surface which is coated with a resin. The closed water-containing vessel is provided with a steam outlet connected thereto at a location above the surface of the water therein. The apparatus further includes a temperature-controlled liquid bath for the closed water-containing vessel and the vessel is at least partially submerged in the liquid bath.

Steam supplying apparatus and method for controlling same

A method for controlling an apparatus for supplying steam to an ashing process. The apparatus includes a closed water-containing vessel formed from a material having good heat conductive characteristics for evaporating water to provide steam to a vacuum chamber housing an ongoing ashing process. In accordance with the procedure, steam evaporated in a closed steam supply tank is introduced into a vacuum chamber via a pressure reducing mass-flow controller. The temperature of the water in the supply tank, the temperature of the steam in the pipes leading from the supply tank to the mass-flow controller, the temperature of the steam in the pipes from the mass-flow controller to the vacuum chamber and the temperature of the steam in the mass-flow controller itself are all independently controlled such that the temperature in the water tank is equal to or less than the temperature in the pipes leading to and from the mass-flow controller and the temperature in the pipes is less than or equal to the temperature in the mass-flow controller.

Method for controlling apparatus for supplying steam for ashing process

Growing community of inventors

Kobe, Japan

Yuuji Matoba