Method of reducing particulate contaminants in a

Abstract

In a chemical-vapor-deposition system, a method of reducing particulate contamination within a reaction chamber. In general, the chemical-vapor-deposition system contains a gas inlet conduit which connects a reaction chamber to a reactive gas source and a gas outlet conduit which connects the reaction chamber to a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump facilitates exhausting gas from the reaction chamber. The method of reducing particulate contamination in the system includes the steps of: filling, via said inlet conduit, the reaction chamber with a reactive gas; exhausting the reactive gas from the reaction chamber using the vacuum pump; isolating the reaction chamber from the vacuum pump to cease exhausting the chamber; backfilling, via the inlet conduit, the reaction chamber with the reactive gas; and preventing, during the backfilling step, generation of eddy currents in a portion of the outlet conduit by providing a particle restrictor within the outlet conduit. To prevent the eddy currents that could cause particulate contaminants to enter the chamber from the outlet conduit, the particle restrictor contains a baffle that extends transversely across the outlet conduit.