Methods and apparatus for preventing deposition of reaction products in process abatement reactors

Abstract

In certain embodiments, methods, systems, and apparatus are provided for use in removing pollutants from a gas stream. The invention includes a thermal reaction unit formed from a plurality of stacked porous ceramic rings. The porous rings include perforations adapted to allow fluid to be flowed into the thermal reaction unit. By flowing fluid through the porous rings, deposition of waste effluent and / or by-products on the interior of the thermal reaction unit is prevented. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 731,719, filed Oct. 31, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to improved systems and methods for the abatement of industrial effluent fluids, such as effluent gases produced in semiconductor manufacturing processes, while reducing the deposition of reaction products in the abatement systems. BACKGROUND [0003] The gaseous effluents from the manufacturing of semiconductor materials, devices, products and memory articles involve a wide variety of chemical compounds used and produced in the process facility. These compounds include inorganic and organic compounds, breakdown products of photo-resist and other reagents, and a wide variety of other gases that must be removed from the waste gas before being vented from the process facility into the atmosphere. [0004] Semiconductor manufacturing proce...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] In certain embodiments, a replacement part is provided for use in an abatement system. The replacement part includes a stackable and replaceable porous chamber section having a plurality of features that allow the porous chamber section to be stacked with other porous chamber sections so as to form a porous wall that defines a central chamber for use during decomposition of gaseous waste from a semiconductor manufacturing process. The porous chamber section has sufficient porosity to allow transfer of fluid from outside the porous chamber section through the porous chamber section and into the central chamber during a decomposition process performed within the central chamber so as to reduce movement of reaction products toward an interior surface of the porous chamber section. The porous chamber section has a shape selected from the group consisting of round, elliptical, triangular, square, rectangular, polygonal, pentagonal, hexagonal and octagonal. Further, the porous chamber section has one or more of (a) a property that varies within the porous chamber section; and (b) a property that differs from a property of at least one other porous chamber section of the porous wall.

Problems solved by technology

Semiconductor manufacturing processes utilize a variety of chemicals, many of which have extremely low human tolerance levels.

Halogens, e.g., fluorine (F2) and other fluorinated compounds, are particularly problematic among the various components requiring abatement.

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