The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 29, 2000
Filed:
Oct. 20, 1998
Seungho Oh, Richardson, TX (US);
Katsutoshi Ishii, Sagamihara, JP;
Toshiharu Nishimura, Kofu, JP;
Yutaka Takahashi, Hanamaki, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo-To, JP;
Abstract
A vertical processing unit 10 for semiconductor wafers has; a cylindrical processing chamber 2 having an opening 18 in an inside of an annular bottom surface, and a disk-shaped cap 6 having an annular abutting-surface 32 abutting on the annular bottom surface of the chamber. A mounting-surface 6p formed on the inside of the annular abutting-surface 32. A wafer-boat 8 for holding a wafer W to be processed is mounted on the mounting-surface 6p of the cap 6. The abutting-surface 32 has an annular groove 34A formed therein. An inert gas supply passgeway 38 is provided in communication with the annular groove 34A for supplying an inert gas into the annular groove 34A through a header 16. An ejection opening 36 for ejecting an inert gas is provided on the inner side of the annular groove 34A for communicating the annular groove 34A and the interior of the processing chamber 2. Owing to the active leaking of the nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas into the interior of the processing chamber 2 through the ejection opening 36, the corrosive gas as a processing gas in the processing chamber 2 does not leak out, so that corrosion or rusting of the equipment around the processing chamber 2 is prevented.