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:
Mar. 08, 2005
Filed:
May. 30, 2002
Shamouil Shamouilian, San Jose, CA (US);
Canfeng Lai, Fremont, CA (US);
Michael Santiago Cox, Davenport, CA (US);
Padmanabhan Krishnaraj, San Francisco, CA (US);
Tsutomu Tanaka, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Sebastien Raoux, Cupertino, CA (US);
Peter I. Porshnev, San Jose, CA (US);
Thomas Nowak, Cupertino, CA (US);
Shamouil Shamouilian, San Jose, CA (US);
Canfeng Lai, Fremont, CA (US);
Michael Santiago Cox, Davenport, CA (US);
Padmanabhan Krishnaraj, San Francisco, CA (US);
Tsutomu Tanaka, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Sebastien Raoux, Cupertino, CA (US);
Peter I. Porshnev, San Jose, CA (US);
Thomas Nowak, Cupertino, CA (US);
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A method of cleaning a semiconductor fabrication processing chamber involves recirculation of cleaning gas components. Consequently, input cleaning gas is utilized efficiently, and undesirable emissions are reduced. The method includes flowing a cleaning gas to an inlet of a processing chamber, and exposing surfaces of the processing chamber to the cleaning gas to clean the surfaces, thereby producing a reaction product. The method further includes removing an outlet gas including the reaction product from an outlet of the processing chamber, separating at least a portion of the reaction product from the outlet gas, and recirculating a portion of the outlet gas to the inlet of the processing chamber.