Modular component system for gas transport

Abstract

In one embodiment, the disclosed apparatus is at least one gas cell substrate for use in a gas delivery box. Each of the at least one gas cell substrate has at least one location where a gas delivery component is to be mounted. The at least one location has at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in a body of the gas cell substrate. At least one pair of first bores containing gas flow paths are formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the location of the gas delivery component, respectively. Other apparatus and systems are disclosed.

Description

[0001] Priority Claim

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 834,241, filed on April 15, 2019, entitled "Modular-component system for gas delivery," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to various different types of equipment used in the semiconductor and related industries. More specifically, the subject matter of the present disclosure relates to components for manufacturing or repairing gas delivery boxes for delivering, for example, gases used in semiconductor processing equipment and gases used in other types of equipment that use various different types of gases. Background Art

[0004] Gas panels or gas boxes are used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment to deliver multiple gases to a vacuum processing chamber to deposit or etch a film on a substrate. These gas boxes contain multiple gas mass flow controllers (MFCs), with one or more MFCs corresponding to each gas type. The MFCs and associated components of the MFCs (e.g., valves, regulators, filters, and similar types of gas delivery components) are often mounted on "gas bars" and coupled together. Generally, many gas bars (e.g., three to thirty or more) are used to provide the necessary gases to the processing chambers of semiconductor processing tools. At the processing tool, each operation may require different gases, flow rates, and pressures.

[0005] Because end users have a wide variety of requirements for process types, gas types and flows, wafer fab (fab) operational requirements, sensor data requirements, etc., gas boxes are typically highly customized for each end user and each process application. The state-of-the-art high-purity gas flow technology may use an integrated gas system (IGS) with surface-mounted gas flow components. The IGS device uses many small, highly modular parts to form gas bars. Because the gas bars have a limited set of configurations that repeat between the gas bars, many small, highly modular parts of the same configuration may be repeated over and over again. Current systems have too much modularity, allowing a large number of configurations, but only a small fraction of these configurations have ever been used. These systems take a long time to assemble, integrate, and test and are error-prone. This means that rapid customization of gas box configurations is not possible. More inventory line items must be tracked and stored. In addition, the documentation of any design takes an excessive amount of time. In state-of-the-art 3D CAD modeling systems, each component needs to be modeled and then constrained within the assembly of the gas box. Because there are many components in current IGS systems, the design of the gas box takes an excessive amount of time. This excessive design and build time means that in the reality of the high customization of gas boxes for semiconductor processing tools, the cost of current systems is too high.

[0006] Accordingly, in the various embodiments described herein, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a limited number of primitive substrates for use in rapidly assembling a variety of gas bar types.

[0007] The information provided in this section is provided to give a background to the subject matter disclosed below to those skilled in the art and should not be regarded as admitted prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes at least one gas primitive substrate for a gas delivery box, wherein each of the at least one gas primitive substrates includes: at least one location on which a gas delivery component will be mounted, the at least one location including at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in a body of the gas primitive substrate, and the exemplary embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure further includes at least a pair of first bores of an air flow path, which are respectively formed on an upstream side and a downstream side of the location of the gas delivery component.

[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a plurality of gas primitive substrates used on a standard backplane in a gas delivery chamber, each of the plurality of gas primitive substrates comprising: at least one location on which a gas delivery component will be mounted, the at least one location comprising at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in a body of the gas primitive substrate, the gas primitive substrate being configured such that the gas delivery component will be mounted only from a topmost surface of the gas primitive substrate; at least a pair of first bores including an airflow path, which are respectively formed on an upstream side and a downstream side of a location of the gas delivery component, and in at least some of the plurality of gas primitive substrates, the at least a pair of bores are at least partially arranged in a cross-section separated from a cross-section of other bores, both cross-sections being arranged in the body of the gas primitive substrate; and at least one port selected from ports including a purge port and a gas diverter port in at least some of the plurality of gas primitive substrates.

[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas primitive substrate comprising: a facility inlet containing a gas fitting component; the gas primitive substrate having a gas diverter port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the gas diverter port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas primitive substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; the gas primitive substrate being configured to receive a gas delivery component, the gas delivery component comprising a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, a regulator, a converter, a filter, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve; the gas primitive substrate further having at least a pair of first bores including an airflow path, the at least a pair of first bores being respectively formed on an upstream side and a downstream side of a location of each of the gas delivery components; and the gas primitive substrate having a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 239.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of about 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and being configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas primitive substrates.

[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas primitive substrate that includes: a facility inlet containing a gas fitting component; the gas primitive substrate having a gas splitting port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the gas splitting port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to couple with other gas primitive substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; the gas primitive substrate being configured to receive a gas delivery component that includes a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve; and the gas primitive substrate further having at least a pair of first bores that include an airflow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively; and the gas primitive substrate having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 148.0 mm, a center-to-center spacing of approximately 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas primitive substrates.

[0012] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas primitive substrate that includes: the gas primitive substrate having an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to couple with other gas primitive substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; the gas primitive substrate being configured to receive a gas delivery component that includes a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve; and the gas primitive substrate further having at least a pair of first bores that include an airflow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively; and the gas primitive substrate having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 99.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of approximately 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas primitive substrates.

[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas element substrate comprising: the gas element substrate has an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas element substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; the gas element substrate is configured to receive a mass flow controller that can be installed without a separate outlet valve; and the gas element substrate further has at least a pair of first bores including an air flow path formed between the inlet port and the outlet port; and the gas element substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 44.5 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas element substrates.

[0014] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas element substrate comprising: the gas element substrate has an inlet port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the inlet port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas element substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve and a three-port valve; and the gas element substrate further has at least a pair of first bores including an air flow path formed upstream and downstream of each of the positions of the two-port valve and the three-port valve, respectively; and the gas element substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas element substrates.

[0015] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas element substrate comprising: the gas element substrate has an inlet port, an additional port, and an outlet port, each of the inlet port, the additional port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas element substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve, the gas element substrate being configured to mount up to two mass flow controllers in opposite directions; and the gas element substrate further has at least a pair of first bores including an air flow path formed upstream and downstream of each of the positions of the first two-port valve and the second two-port valve, respectively; and the gas element substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas element substrates.

[0016] In another exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the present disclosure describes a gas elementary substrate, comprising: the gas elementary substrate has an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas elementary substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; a gas delivery component, which includes a two-port valve; and the gas elementary substrate further has at least a pair of first bores including an air flow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each of the two-port valves respectively; and the gas elementary substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas elementary substrates. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of a gas delivery tank showing various different embodiments of using the subject matter of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2A A three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of some gas elementary substrates that are serially coupled and filled with gas delivery components according to the subject matter of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2B A plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a series of gas component elementary substrates filled with gas delivery components according to the subject matter of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figures 3A to 3D An exemplary embodiment showing elementary substrates of configurable gas components of various different types and sizes;

[0021] Figures 3E to 3G An exemplary embodiment showing elementary substrates of gas components with integrated valves of various different types and sizes;

[0022] Figure 3H-A and 3H-B Shows Figures 3A to 3D Elementary substrates of configurable gas components of various different sizes and Figures 3E to 3G Specific exemplary embodiments of elementary substrates of gas components with integrated valves;

[0023] Figure 3I Shows an exemplary embodiment for determining the substrate-to-substrate distance (pitch distance) of an elementary substrate such as Figure 3A ;

[0024] Figure 3J-A and 3J-B Shows an exemplary embodiment for determining the substrate-to-substrate distance (pitch distance) of an elementary substrate such as Figure 3AAn exemplary embodiment of the primitive substrate height;

[0025] Figure 3K shows, for determining, for example Figure 3A An exemplary embodiment of the primitive substrate length;

[0026] Figure 3L An example of a plan view showing an exemplary arrangement of gas delivery components serially mounted on a gas component primitive substrate according to various different embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figures 4A to 4C shows according to Figure 3A Additional details of the facility inlet primitive substrate, which is used as, for example, a facility inlet for coupling a gas supply source to Figure 1 the gas delivery box;

[0028] Figure 5A and 5B shows according to Figure 3C Additional details of the double two-port valve primitive substrate, which is used to mount, for example, a purge gas inlet valve and a purge gas converter;

[0029] Figures 6A to 6C shows according to Figure 3E Additional details of the double valve substrate, which is used, for example, in combination with a shut-off valve and a purge valve;

[0030] Figure 7A and 7B shows according to Figure 3F Additional details of the double two-port valve substrate, which is used to mount, for example, two mass flow controllers;

[0031] Figure 8A and 8B shows according to Figure 3G Additional details of the single two-port valve substrate, which is used as a single shut-off valve;

[0032] Figure 9 shows an example of a typical two-port valve, which is used to illustrate how to determine the widths of different gas component primitive substrates in a gas component primitive substrate;

[0033] Figure 10A and 10B shows an example for illustrating how to determine the heights of different gas component primitive substrates in a gas component primitive substrate;

[0034] Figure 11 shows a prior art bottom outlet manifold system; and

[0035] Figure 12The subject matter of the present disclosure shows examples of top manifold systems of various different embodiments. Detailed Description

[0036] The subject matter of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to some general and specific embodiments as illustrated in the various different figures. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter of the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known processing steps, construction techniques, or structures have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0037] An innovation of the subject matter of the present disclosure can be used to form a unique minimal combination of any known gas box or gas panel for use with (e.g.) semiconductor processing tools, as well as a reduced or minimum-sized primitive substrate. Current systems have too many degrees of freedom (e.g., excessive modularity) for the effective design and construction of gas boxes for build-to-order (ITO) assembly scenarios. As disclosed herein, various embodiments of a gas system design using a substrate primitive of seven gas manifolds are provided, which can be configured such that any gas delivery system for any semiconductor processing tool can be constructed. The seven substrate primitives are manufactured with features such that they can be adapted to the size of existing gas delivery boxes and enable most or all possible component arrangements.

[0038] Once assembled, the substrate primitives are mounted to a standard backplane, which is typically common to any known gas bar configuration. The enclosure, system interface, and pneumatic bank that drives the process gas valves are also standardized and common. Thus, the design of the gas box only requires the placement of a few standard components and is limited in the model to produce a new gas box assembly. This standardization of the hardware structure and the limited set of primitives for forming the gas connections saves a significant amount of design time. For the construction of the gas box, all hardware structure components, primitive substrates, and gas flow components can be sourced and stored in a warehouse. Thus, the lead time for the manufacture of the gas box can be reduced, for example, from 8 to 12 weeks to 1 to 2 weeks.

[0039] Now refer to Figure 1, which shows a three - dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of a gas delivery chamber 100 using various embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the gas delivery chamber 100 can be obtained from several sources. The gas delivery chamber 100 can be configured to accommodate a number of gas delivery channels to supply gas to the gas inlet supply lines of one or more devices, such as various different types of etching and deposition equipment (e.g., plasma - based etching and deposition equipment) used in the semiconductor and related industries. For example, in various embodiments, the gas delivery chamber 100 can be configured with fewer than 10 channels, 10 to 20 channels, or more than 20 channels, where each channel can be coupled to a variety of gas supply sources (e.g., various precursor gases). The gas delivery chamber 100 includes a backplane 101 to which various components of the subject matter of the present disclosure can be secured (e.g., screwed, or other physical or chemical connections or adhesions), as described in more detail below. The gas delivery chamber 100 is shown as containing a number of gas component primitives 103 filled with gas delivery components such as valves, mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, pressure regulators, etc. The various ones of the gas component primitive substrates are described in detail below.

[0040] A standard gas delivery chamber (such as gas delivery chamber 100) can remain unchanged and can thus directly implement the gas component primitive substrate described herein. The backplane 101, housing, printed circuit board, cables, pneumatic library, and other components (not all of the above components are necessarily shown) are each well - known in the art.

[0041] Figure 2A Figure 200 shows a three - dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of a number of gas component primitive substrates that are serially coupled and filled with gas delivery components according to the subject matter of the present disclosure. As Figure 2A arranged, the gas component primitive substrates and gas delivery components include gas delivery channels used in the Figure 1 gas delivery chamber 100. Thus, Figure 2A the three - dimensional view 200 only presents an overview of an exemplary embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure. After reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize that portions of the gas delivery channels may be combined in whole or in part with other portions of other gas delivery channels (e.g., in series, in parallel, or various series - parallel combinations). Figure 2A The various gas component primitive substrates are described in detail below.

[0042] In this exemplary embodiment, the three-dimensional view 200 is shown to include a two-port valve primitive substrate 201 and a facility inlet primitive substrate 207. The two-port valve primitive substrate 201 is shown to include a two-port valve 203 (e.g., a switching pneumatic valve). A mass flow controller 205 bridges from the two-port valve primitive substrate 201 to the facility inlet primitive substrate 207. Thus, the mass flow controller 205 spans from the outlet port of the facility inlet primitive substrate (not explicitly shown in Figure 2A to the inlet port of the two-port valve primitive substrate 201 (also not explicitly shown in Figure 2A ). Each of the facility inlet primitive substrate 207 and the two-port valve primitive substrate 201 is detailed below with reference to Figures 4A to 4A and Figure 8A and 8B respectively. Figure 2A The three-dimensional view 200 is also shown to include a purge valve 209, a purge port 211, a mass flow controller inlet valve 213, a gas splitter port 215, a filter 217, a converter 219, a regulator 221, a lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve 223, and a gas fitting component 225.

[0043] The purge valve 209 and the purge port 211 enable a purge gas (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, argon, various different types of precursor gases, etc.) to purge the mass flow controller 205. The gas splitter port 215 enables additional gas flow to flow into or out of the facility inlet primitive substrate 207 (between the filter 217 and the mass flow controller inlet valve 213). Each of the purge valve 209, the purge port 211, the gas splitter port 215, and others can be coupled to other primitive substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnect mechanism, detailed below with reference to Figure 12 respectively.

[0044] The mass flow controller inlet valve 213 provides additional isolation means (e.g., an additional switching valve) for the mass flow controller 205. The filter 217 can include a point-of-use filter to remove most or all particulate contaminants larger than a specific cross-sectional size diameter that are dropped by one or more components (such as valves, regulators, etc.) upstream of the filter 217. The converter 219 can include a pressure converter. In various embodiments, the regulator 221 is a pressure regulator that provides a nearly constant pressure used in the gas channel.

[0045] After reading and understanding the disclosed subject matter, those skilled in the art will recognize that not all of these components (such as valves, MFCs, filters, etc.) will be used or required in all applications. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that other applications of the gas component primitive substrates can include additional substrates among these substrates and other components mounted on or included with the primitive substrates.

[0046] The LOTO valve 223 is designed for applications that consider personal safety and equipment safety. For example, in the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees various industrial standards, which include the ability to stop machinery or equipment during maintenance to prevent the release of hazardous substances (such as hazardous gases). Similar government agencies exist in most countries or regions of the world.

[0047] For example, the LOTO valve 223 can be used to prevent the release of one or more gases that may be particularly harmful to personal safety, mechanical safety, and operations during maintenance procedures (such as replacing one or more components from one or more gas component substrates). In a specific example, those skilled in the art know that silane (SiH 4 ) gas is an inorganic, colorless, gaseous compound of silicon and hydrogen, which has strong reducing properties and is self-igniting in air. Therefore, if mixed, oxygen and silane may potentially explode or ignite. The LOTO valve 223 can prevent such an unintentional release of such gases.

[0048] In various embodiments, the gas fitting component 225 can include fittings known in the art (for example, the fittings can be obtained, for example, from the Swagelok Company of Solon, Ohio, USA or the Parker Hannifin Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, USA). In other embodiments, for example, the gas fitting component 225 can be flared into a metal-to-metal seal feature, or welded to a pipe head. In other embodiments, the gas fitting component 225 can be formed as, for example, an O-ring face seal fitting and the seal fitting is a registered trademark of the Swagelok Company of Solon, Ohio, USA). Those skilled in the art will recognize that other types of fittings can also be used.

[0049] Now referring to Figure 2B , in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure, a plan view 230 of an exemplary embodiment of a series of gas component substrates filled with gas delivery components is shown. The plan view 230 provides an embodiment of the order in which various components (such as valves, regulators, filters, etc.) can be placed on the various gas component substrates described herein.

[0050] For example, when the gas delivery tank 100 (see Figure 1)When performing maintenance or other types of servicing, the LOTO valve 223 is typically placed upstream of all other components to protect personnel and equipment. The regulator 221 is then placed downstream of the LOTO valve 223. If the regulator 221 is a pressure regulator, the regulator 221 can be set to provide a nearly constant pressure to the gas used in the Figure 2B series of gas component primitive substrates (gas channels). The converter 219 is located immediately downstream of the regulator 221 to monitor, for example, the pressure in the gas channel. The filter 217 is installed upstream of the gas splitter port 215 to filter, for example, the gas flow shared with additional components (such as other gas component primitive substrates, etc. (not shown)). The mass flow controller inlet valve 213 (which includes a two-port valve in this embodiment) is located downstream of the gas splitter port 215 to prevent interruption of the gas flow to other gas component primitive substrates while still being able to shut off the gas flowing into the mass flow controller 205. The purge valve 209 is downstream of the mass flow controller inlet valve 213 and upstream of the mass flow controller 205. The purge valve 209 thus enables purging of the mass flow controller 205 such that the mass flow controller 205 can be purged without shutting off the LOTO valve 223 (which would also shut off the gas flowing to other components via the gas splitter port 215), for example, due to a failure of the mass flow controller 205.

[0051] After reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will quickly recognize that the floor plan 230 of an exemplary embodiment of a series of gas component primitive substrates filled with Figure 2B gas delivery components can be configured with various gas flow components in positions different from those shown in the figure. Thus, the positions of the gas delivery components can be arranged in any desired order deemed suitable for a given application.

[0052] Figures 3A to 3D An exemplary embodiment of a primitive substrate of configurable gas components of various types and sizes is shown. As Figure 3A shown, an example of a facility inlet primitive substrate 300 includes a gas fitting component 302, and the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 is configured to receive a two-port LOTO valve 301, a regulator 303, a converter 305, a filter 307, a gas splitter port 309, an additional two-port valve 311, a purge port 313, a three-port valve 315, and an outlet port 317 at different positions. Thus, the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 can be used with Figure 2A and 2Bis the same as or similar to the facility inlet primitive substrate 207. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various arrangements shown above can also be configured in other ways. For example, the positions of the regulator 303, the converter 305, the filter 307, and the additional two-port valve 311 can all be interchanged, depending on the specific application. Thus, in Figures 3A to 3D the presentation of the positions of the various gas delivery components is provided only as an aid to understanding the various embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0053] As Figure 3B shown, an example of an additional facility inlet primitive substrate 320 includes a gas fitting component 322 and the facility inlet primitive substrate 320 is configured to receive a two-port LOTO valve 321, a gas splitter port 323, an additional two-port valve 325, a purge port 327, a three-port valve 329, and an outlet port 331 at different positions.

[0054] As Figure 3C shown, an example of a dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 (e.g., a two-port / two-port substrate) is shown as including an inlet port 341 and an outlet port 347, and is configured to receive a first two-port valve 343 and a second two-port valve 345 at different positions.

[0055] Figure 3D An example of a dual single-port primitive substrate 350 (e.g., a one-port / one-port substrate) is shown, which includes an inlet port 351 and an outlet port 353. The dual single-port primitive substrate 350 may be used, for example, with an MFC because of the outlet port 353 in this substrate, so that the MFC can be installed without a separate outlet valve.

[0056] Figures 3E to 3G Exemplary embodiments of various different types and sizes of gas component primitive substrates with integrated valves are shown. Those skilled in the art will recognize that each substrate with an integrated valve can be quickly constructed using Figures 3A to 3D the various substrates. However, integrating these valves as part of the substrate will accelerate the production of the gas delivery channels described below.

[0057] By way of example, Figure 3E an example of a dual valve substrate 360 (e.g., a two-port / three-port substrate) is shown, which includes an inlet port 361, an outlet port 369, a purge port 365, and further includes positions for a two-port valve 363 and a three-port valve 367. The two-port valve 363 allows for shut-off operations, and the three-port valve 367 (in combination with the purge port 365) allows for purge operations, as those skilled in the art will recognize.

[0058] Figure 3FShows an example of a dual two-port valve substrate 370 (e.g., a two-port / two-port substrate) that includes an inlet port 371, an outlet port 379, an additional gas port 375, a first two-port valve 373, and a second two-port valve 377. The dual two-port valve substrate 370 can provide for, e.g., two mass flow controllers (e.g., MFCs connected together) mounted in opposite directions.

[0059] Figure 3G Shows an example of a single two-port valve substrate 380 (e.g., a one two-port substrate) that includes an inlet port 381, an outlet port 385, and a two-port valve 383. The single two-port valve substrate 380 provides a single shut-off valve. Additionally, the single two-port valve substrate 380 can be the same as or similar to Figure 2A and 2B the two-port valve primitive substrate 201.

[0060] Figures 3A to 3D the various ports in the ports of the primitive substrate of the configurable gas component and Figures 3E to 3G the gas component primitive substrate can be coupled to other ports and / or substrates in the top manifold system, as detailed in the following reference Figure 12 For example, each of the inlet ports 341, 351, 361, 371, 381 of the substrate can be coupled to or coupled with different ones or more of the outlet ports 317, 331, 347, 353, 369, 379, 385 on other substrates. The top manifold system enables each of these connections to be formed from the top side of the primitive substrate, rather than from below (or the lower side) as shown in the prior art Figure 11.

[0061] Those skilled in the art will now recognize that Figure 3A and 3B each of the gas component primitive facility inlet substrates can be combined with Figures 3C to 3G the various gas component primitive substrates to quickly prepare any number of gas delivery channels to be installed, e.g., in the gas delivery tank 100 (see Figure 1 ). Additionally, Figures 3A to 3G the primitive substrates are also shown in detail by reference to Figures 4A to 8B the specific sections in. For example, Figures 4A to 4C shows additional details of the primitive substrate of the configurable gas component according to Figure 3A being used as, e.g., the facility inlet of the gas delivery tank of Figure 1 . Further, reference Figures 4A to 8BSpecific portions thereof also show a number of locations (not explicitly marked or numbered, but understood by those skilled in the art) for which various types of fasteners are used to mount various gas delivery components to various substrates. For example, in various embodiments, the gas delivery component can be mounted using a metal "C" seal or a "W" seal to seal the gas path. The screws used in these fasteners are specifically low-friction, high-strength screws to compress the metal seals. Those skilled in the art recognize these types of fasteners (which can be obtained, for example, from American Seal and Engineering, Orange, Connecticut, USA and of America, Inc., Fremont, California, USA). In other embodiments, fasteners such as machine screws can be used.

[0062] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that each gas element primitive substrate can be machined or otherwise formed from a variety of materials. For example, for ultra-high purity (UHP) gas systems, standards in the semiconductor industry (e.g., promulgated by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), Milpitas, California, USA) include "316L stainless steel specification... [for] ultra-high purity semiconductor manufacturing applications", which uses double melting to improve purity according to SEMI standard F20. SEMI's "Surface Condition Specification for the Wet Surfaces of Stainless Steel Components" uses electropolished internal surfaces according to SEMI standard F19 for all gases and liquids. For highly corrosive gases such as hydrogen chloride (HCL) or hydrogen bromide (HBr), corrosion-resistant materials with high corrosion resistance can be used, including various high-performance alloys (also known as superalloys) well-known in the art. These high-performance alloys include, for example, (which can be obtained from different sources, these sources including Inco Alloys International, Inc., Huntington, West Virginia, USA) or (It can be obtained from different sources, including Haynes Stellite Company, Kokomo, Indiana, USA and Union Carbide Corporation, New York, New York, USA). In other examples, for instance, in a non-UHP gas system, the substrate can be formed of, for example, 316L grade stainless steel that is not necessarily in accordance with SEMI standards. Further, for applications where caustic or corrosive gases are not transported, another material can be used to form the substrate. For example, in these applications, the substrate can be formed of the following materials: 304 grade stainless steel, 6061 aluminum or other aluminum alloys, copper or zinc alloys (e.g., brass), or various types of machinable and / or moldable polymers and high-performance plastics (e.g., or both are well-known in the art).

[0063] After reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will further recognize that various types of gas delivery components described herein can be installed onto various primitive substrates, for example, by machine screws supplemented with metal seals (e.g., as discussed above). In these cases, each seal can be inspected for a maximum helium leak rate of approximately 10 -9 Torr per second. In other examples, depending on the type of gas being transported, O-rings made of or other types of perfluorinated elastomers or fluorine-containing elastomeric materials, which are well-known in the art, can be used to prevent gas leakage between the gas delivery component and the primitive substrate.

[0064] In addition, after reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize that more or fewer primitive substrates of gas components can be used in a variety of applications, and the number of such primitive substrates of gas components can vary for a particular type of gas delivery chamber 100 (see Figure 1 ) used in a variety of processing tools or equipment used in different industries. For example, in the data storage industry, a processing tool for producing thin film heads may require fewer primitive substrates of gas components (e.g., fewer gas channels) compared to a processing tool for manufacturing films produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. In addition, those skilled in the art will recognize that the arrangement of gas delivery components in each of the various primitive substrates of gas components can vary according to specific uses and applications. Therefore, each of these different arrangements should be considered to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0065] Figure 3H-A and 3H-B show Figures 3A to 3D the primitive substrate of the configurable gas component and Figures 3E to 3GSpecific exemplary embodiments of different sizes of a gas component primitive substrate with an integrated valve. As Figure 3H-A and 3H-B shown, these seven primitive substrates (four primitive substrates 382 for configurable gas components and three gas component primitive substrates 384) enable the construction of all configurations of the gas box. The various sizes match (e.g.) the mounting pattern of the backplane 101 (see Figure 1 ), and various primitive substrates of the subject matter of the present disclosure can be attached to the backplane 101. In addition, as detailed in the following reference Figures 3I to 3K , the sizes are selected to fit standard components, such as two-port and three-port valves, along the length of the various primitive substrates and across the entire primitive substrate. Each of these sizes is provided only to assist those skilled in the art in obtaining a better understanding of the subject matter of the present disclosure. However, after reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that sizes different from those provided herein can be used for a given application.

[0066] For example, continuing to refer to Figure 3H-A , in a specific exemplary embodiment, the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 can be used as a facility inlet for, for example, a two-port LOTO valve, a regulator, a converter, a filter, a two-port valve, a three-port valve, gas sharing, and purging. The total length d 1 can be approximately 239.5 mm, the width d 2 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance between ports d 3 can be approximately 11.2 mm, and the distance d 4 can be approximately 109.2 mm.

[0067] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the additional facility inlet primitive substrate 320 can be used as a facility inlet for, for example, a two-port LOTO valve, a two-port valve, a three-port valve, gas sharing, and purging. The total length d 5 can be approximately 148.0 mm, the width d 6 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance between ports d 7 can be approximately 11.2 mm, and the distance d 8 can be approximately 109.2 mm.

[0068] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 is a two-port / two-port valve substrate that enables, for example, the installation of two components in series. The total length d 9 can be approximately 99.5 mm, the width d 10 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance between ports d 11 can be approximately 11.2 mm, and the distance d 12 can be approximately 90.7 mm.

[0069] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the dual single-port primitive substrate 350 is a one-port / one-port substrate that enables, for example, the installation of an MFC without a separate outlet valve. Components can be installed in series. The total length d 13 can be approximately 44.5 mm, the width d 14 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance between ports d 15 can be approximately 11.2 mm, and the distance d 16 can be approximately 35.7 mm.

[0070] In other examples, and now continuing to refer to Figure 3H-B , in a specific exemplary embodiment, the dual-valve substrate 360 is a two-port / three-port valve that can be used, for example, as a shut-off valve and a purge valve. The total length d 17 can be approximately 118.0 mm, the width d 18 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance d 19 can be approximately 73.0 mm, and the distance d 20 can be approximately 21.6 mm.

[0071] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the dual two-port valve substrate 370 is a two-port / two-port valve that enables, for example, two MFCs to be installed in opposite directions (e.g., connected mass flow controllers). The total length d 21 can be approximately 118.0 mm, the width d 22 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance d 23 can be approximately 73.0 mm, and the distance d 2 4 can be approximately 21.6 mm.

[0072] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the single two-port valve substrate 380 is a two-port valve that can be used, for example, as a single shut-off valve. The total length d 25 can be approximately 118.0 mm, the width d 26 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance d 27 can be approximately 24.0 mm, the distance d 28 can be approximately 21.6 mm.

[0073] Figure 3I Shows an exemplary embodiment that is used, for example, for Figure 3A determining the distance between substrates (pitch distance) of primitive substrates. Figure 3I The spacing (pitch spacing) of the primitive substrates is considered. Minimizing the width spacing between bars can increase or maximize the available space of the completed assembly. Due to the mounting flange dimensions of the components plus tolerances (e.g., see, for example, the followingFigure 9 For the exemplary valve 901 shown, the minimum spacing achievable is approximately 29 mm. A pair of flame-impingement panels 386 (used in many gas boxes) are mounted between the gas bars (e.g., one of the pair on each side of the gas bar). In various embodiments, the thickness of the flange containing the FIP plate 386 is 0.8 mm. Thus, due to the width and thickness of the mounting flange of the FIP plate 386, the minimum spacing between adjacent gas bars becomes approximately 29.8 mm. In various specific exemplary embodiments, an additional approximately 0.7 mm is added due to tolerance stacking, resulting in a pitch distance d of approximately 30.5 mm as shown in Figure 3I . For comparison purposes, currently available gas delivery substrates only allow a minimum spacing of 35.6 mm. 29 .

[0074] Figure 3J-A and 3J-B show exemplary embodiments for determining, for example, the height of the primitive substrate of Figure 3A . In various embodiments, the height of the gas substrate is considered to minimize the height of the primitive substrate block to increase or maximize the available space of the completed assembly. For purging upstream of the MFC and with reference to the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 of Figure 3J-A and 3J-B , the three-port valve 315 is positioned at the purge port 313 with an exit position and may be implemented downstream of a two-port shut-off valve located at the position of the additional two-port valve 311 with an associated connecting angled bore 319. The connecting angled bore 319 connects the position of the two-port valve 311 and the position of the three-port valve 315, thereby forming a gas path between the exit of the two-port valve and the inlet of the three-port valve between the two valves. The connecting angled bore 319 connecting the two ports determines the minimum height of the block based on the selection of the angle and bore diameter. In a specific exemplary embodiment, the distance d of this minimum height 30 is 33.8 mm. The determination of the height of the primitive substrate is detailed below with reference to Figure 10A and 10B .

[0075] Figure 3K show an exemplary embodiment for determining, for example, the length of the primitive substrate of Figure 3A . Figure 3K The facility inlet primitive substrate 300 of Figure 3I can minimize the length of the primitive substrate block to increase or maximize the available space of the completed assembly. In this example, due to the mounting considerations of the approximately 30.5 mm dimension discussed previously with reference to 32) can be repeated in the vertical direction. For example, having the same distance in both the horizontal and vertical directions can enable the component bridging between component positions to be used horizontally or vertically. As those skilled in the art will understand after reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, another distance d 33 (approximately 24.5 mm) can also be repeated three times.

[0076] Figure 3L According to various different embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure, a plan view of an example showing an exemplary arrangement of gas delivery components mounted in series on a gas component primitive substrate is presented. According to the subject matter of the present disclosure, a gas component primitive coupled in series and filled with gas delivery components is also discussed above with reference to Figure 2A and 2B has been discussed.

[0077] In a specific exemplary embodiment, the LOTO valve 223 is the first component installed and can protect personnel when servicing the gas delivery tank 100 (see Figure 1 ). The regulator 221 is upstream of the converter 219 so that the converter 219 can indicate the setting of the regulator 221. The filter 217 is downstream of the regulator 219 to capture most or all of the particulates generated by the regulator 221. The filter 217 is also upstream of the gas splitter port 215 so that multiple gas bars can filter when sharing gas. The two-port valve (e.g., the mass flow controller inlet valve 213) is downstream of the gas splitter port 215 so that when the two-port valve is activated, other lines are not closed. The three-port valve (e.g., the purge valve 209) is downstream of the two-port valve to allow purging via the purge port 211 without having to manually close the LOTO valve 223. The three-port valve is also upstream of the MFC 205 to allow purging of the upstream of the MFC in the event of an MFC failure (e.g., in a closed position).

[0078] Now referring to Figures 4A to 4C , additional details of the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 according to Figure 3A are shown being used as the facility inlet of the gas delivery tank (e.g.) Figure 1 . The facility inlet primitive substrate 300 is shown as including the LOTO valve 223, the mass flow controller inlet valve 213, and the purge valve 209, each of which is installed. However, showing these valves is only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of the additional details to those skilled in the art. Thus, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0079] Figure 4AIs a three-dimensional view 400 of the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 401 and a number of gas delivery component mounting holes 403. The substrate mounting hole 401 can be, for example, a through hole that enables the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 to be physically mounted to Figure 1 the gas delivery tank 100 of. The gas delivery component mounting hole 403 can be, for example, a screw hole that enables various different gas delivery elements to be mounted to the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 via machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art, together with a metal seal (such as a C-seal or a W-seal, as described above) or an O-ring also described above.

[0080] Figure 4B Shows in Figure 4A An exemplary cross-sectional view 410 of cross-section A-A of. The cross-sectional view 410 shows a plurality of bored holes 405 that connect various port locations for connecting various gas delivery components to the gas flowing in the facility inlet primitive substrate 300. For example, the bored hole 405 connects the position of the regulator 303 to the position of the LOTO valve 223. The bored hole 405 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (such as mechanical drilling or laser drilling).

[0081] Figure 4C Shows in Figure 4A An example cross-sectional view 420 of cross-section B-B of. The cross-sectional view 420 shows additional bored holes that connect various port locations for connecting various gas delivery components to the gas flowing in the facility inlet primitive substrate 300. Thus, each bored hole in cross-section A-A and cross-section B-B can be at least partially arranged in a separate cross-section within the body of the facility inlet primitive substrate 300. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some or all of the gas primitive substrates described herein can be similarly constructed to have bored holes in one or more cross-sections in the corresponding body of the gas primitive substrate described herein. In Figure 4C An exemplary embodiment of, the horizontal cross-section of the bored hole 407 can be drilled or otherwise machined or etched from one end of the facility inlet primitive substrate 300. In this embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bored hole 407 has a capping material 409 that is welded, formed, placed, or inserted after the bored hole 407 is formed. In a specific exemplary embodiment, the capping material 409 is welded in place after the internal channel is electropolished as described above. In another specific exemplary embodiment, the capping material 409 is a machine screw that is screwed into the open end of the facility inlet primitive substrate 300. In this example, the O-ring material (e.g., depending on the type of gas being delivered, Or other types of perfluorinated elastomers or fluorine-containing elastomeric materials known in the art can be used to prevent gas leakage around the capping material 409.

[0082] Figure 5A and 5B shows additional details of the dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 according to Figure 3C being used to mount, for example, a purge gas inlet valve and a purge gas converter. However, the description of these valves is only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of this additional detail to those skilled in the art. Thus, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0083] Figure 5A is a three-dimensional view 500 of the dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 501 and a number of gas delivery component mounting holes 503. The substrate mounting hole 501 can be, for example, a through-hole that enables the dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 to be physically mounted to Figure 1 the gas delivery box 100 by, for example, machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art. The gas delivery component mounting holes 503 can be, for example, screw holes to enable various gas delivery components to be mounted to the dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0084] Figure 5B shows Figure 5A a cross-sectional view 510 of an example of section C-C in Figure 4B . The cross-sectional view 510 shows a plurality of bores 505 that connect various port locations for connecting various different gas delivery components to the gas flowing in the dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340. For example, the bore 505 connects the inlet port 341 to the location of the first two-port valve 343. Then, the location of the first two-port valve 343 is connected to the location of the second two-port valve 345, which is then connected to the outlet port 347. As

[0085] Figures 6A to 6C shows additional details of the dual valve substrate 360 according to Figure 3E being used in combination with, for example, a shut-off valve and a purge valve. The dual valve substrate 360 is shown as including a two-port valve 363 and a three-port valve 367, both of which are mounted on the dual valve substrate 360. However, the display of these valves is only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of this additional detail to those skilled in the art. Thus, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0086] Figure 6A is a three-dimensional view 600 of a dual-valve substrate 360 and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 601 and a number of gas delivery component mounting holes 603. As in Figures 4A to 5B the exemplary embodiment shown, the substrate mounting hole 601 can be, for example, a through-hole that enables the dual-valve substrate 360 to be physically mounted, by, for example, machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art, to Figure 1 the gas delivery chamber 100. The gas delivery component mounting holes 503 can be, for example, screw holes that enable various different gas delivery components to be mounted to the dual-valve substrate 360 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0087] Figure 6B shows an example of a cross-sectional view in Figure 6A section D-D. This cross-sectional view 610 shows a plurality of bored holes 605 through which various inlet ports 361 are connected to a two-port valve 363 and a purge port 365 is connected to a three-port valve 367. As described above, the bored holes 605 can be formed by a variety of machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., machine drilling or laser drilling).

[0088] Figure 6C shows an example of a cross-sectional view 620 in Figure 6A section E-E. This cross-sectional view 620 shows additional bored holes 607 that connect, for example, the two-port valve 363 and the three-port valve 367 to each other and to an outlet port 369 (not shown in Figure 6C ). In this exemplary embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bored holes 607 can be drilled or otherwise machined or etched from one end of the dual-valve substrate 360. Also as shown in this embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bored holes 607 has a capping material 609 that is welded, formed, placed, or inserted after the bored holes 607 are formed. In one specific exemplary embodiment, the capping material 609 is welded in place after the internal channels have been electropolished as described above. In another specific exemplary embodiment, the capping material 609 is a machine screw that is screwed into the open end of the dual-valve substrate 360. In this example, an O-ring material (e.g., depending on the type of gas being delivered, a or other type of perfluorinated elastomer or fluorine-containing elastomeric material known in the art) can be used to prevent gas leakage around the capping material 609.

[0089] Figure 7A and 7B shows according to Figure 3FAdditional details of the dual two-port valve substrate 370 for mounting, for example, two mass flow controllers. The dual two-port valve substrate 370 is shown as including a first two-port valve 373 and a second two-port valve 377, both of which are shown as being mounted. However, the display of these valves is only for more fully illustrating the overall concept of this additional detail to those skilled in the art. Thus, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0090] Figure 7A is a three-dimensional view 700 of the dual two-port valve substrate 370 and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 701 and several gas delivery component mounting holes 703. The substrate mounting hole 701 can be, for example, a through-hole that enables the dual two-port valve substrate 370 to be physically mounted to Figure 1 the gas delivery box 100 by, for example, machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art. The gas delivery component mounting hole 703 can be, for example, a screw hole that enables various different gas delivery components to be mounted to the dual two-port valve substrate 370 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0091] Figure 7B Shows in Figure 7A an example cross-sectional view 710 of the cross-section F-F. The cross-sectional view 710 shows a plurality of bores 705 that connect various port locations for connecting various gas delivery components to the gas flowing within the dual two-port valve substrate 370. For example, the first of the bores 705 connects the inlet port 371 to the first two-port valve 373, which then connects the first two-port valve 373 to the additional gas port 375 via the second of the bores 705. The additional gas port 375 is also connected via a bore 705 to the second two-port valve 377, and the second two-port valve 377 then connects via a bore 705 to the outlet port 379. The bores 705 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., machine drilling or laser drilling).

[0092] Figure 8A and 8B Shows additional details of the single two-port valve substrate 380 used as, for example, a single shut-off valve according to Figure 3G The single two-port valve substrate 380 is shown as including a two-port valve 383. However, the display of this valve is only for more fully illustrating the overall concept of this additional detail to those skilled in the art. Thus, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0093] Figure 8Ais a three-dimensional view 800 of a single two-port valve substrate 380 and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 801 and a number of gas delivery component mounting holes 803. The substrate mounting hole 801 can be, for example, a through-hole that enables the single two-port valve substrate 380 to be physically mounted to Figure 1 the gas delivery chamber 100 of. The gas delivery component mounting hole 803 can be, for example, a screw hole that enables various different gas delivery components to be mounted to the single two-port valve substrate 380 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0094] Figure 8B Shows an example of a cross-sectional view 810 of a cross-section G-G in Figure 8A . The cross-sectional view 810 shows a plurality of bored holes 805 that connect various port locations of various gas delivery components to the gas flowing within the single two-port valve substrate 370. For example, the first of the bored holes 805 connects the inlet port 381 to the two-port valve 383, and then connects the two-port valve 383 to the outlet port 385 via the second of the bored holes 805. As described above, the bored holes 805 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., machine drilling or laser drilling).

[0095] Figure 9 Shows an example of a typical valve 901 (or any other gas delivery component) that is used to illustrate how to determine the widths of various gas component primitive substrates as shown in Figures 3A to 3G . The typical valve 901 can include, for example, a LOTO valve 223 or a two-port valve 203 (see Figure 2A ), or a three-port valve 315 (see Figure 3A ). The width d of the typical valve 901 33 at least partially determines the minimum width among the various widths of the various gas component primitive substrates to maximize or increase the available space of the completed gas bar assembly.

[0096] In a specific exemplary embodiment, due to the size of the mounting flange of the typical valve 901 (which is approximately 28.6 mm in this example) plus the width d of the flange tolerance 33, the minimum obtainable spacing is about 29 mm. In semiconductor manufacturing facilities, some equipment manufacturers also use additional space for, for example, a flame impingement plate (FIP) that will be installed between adjacent gas bars. In this particular exemplary embodiment, an FIP thickness of about 0.8 mm is selected. Thus, due to this mounting flange width and this FIP thickness, the minimum spacing between adjacent gas bars is about 29.8 mm. Due to tolerance stack-up, an additional amount of about 0.7 mm is then added to this embodiment, resulting in a minimum width of about 30.5 mm. Compared to the subject matter of the present disclosure, current gas delivery bars only allow a minimum spacing of 35.6 mm. Thus, in a gas delivery cassette having twenty-four gas delivery substrates, a total width of more than about 122 mm (about 4.8 inches) is saved. Thinking in another way, according to an embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure, the saved width of greater than about 122 mm allows four additional gas delivery substrates to be added Figure 1 to the gas delivery cassette 100.

[0097] However, after reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiment of this minimum width is only provided to illustrate an example. Those skilled in the art should understand that a variety of other minimum widths can be found and utilized, depending on at least some of the considerations presented in this particular exemplary embodiment.

[0098] Figure 10A and 10B shows an example for illustrating how to determine the height of various gas component primitive substrates. For example, in various embodiments, the height of the substrate can be reduced or minimized to increase or maximize the available space for the completed substrate components.

[0099] Figure 10A is a three-dimensional view 1000 of the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 and emphasizes the positions of the two-port valve 311, purge port 313, and three-port valve 315 as described above with reference to Figure 3A and 4A to 4C. Also as described above, in one embodiment, a mass flow controller (not shown in Figure 10A ) can be purged using the three-port valve 315 upstream of the mass flow controller and the two-port valve 311 upstream of the three-port valve 315, and the purge port 313 is configured between the two valves 311, 315. To connect the gas delivery path between the outlet of the two-port valve 311 and the inlet of the three-port valve 315, an angled bore is included therein, as described below with reference to Figure 10B . The bore connecting the two ports indicates the minimum height of the substrate due to the angle of the bore (determined by the separation distance between the valves) and the diameter of the bore.

[0100] Figure 10B shows an example of a cross-sectional view 1010 of a cross-section H-H at Figure 10A . The cross-sectional view 1010 shows a bore 1001 that connects the outlet at the position of the two-port valve 311 and the inlet at the position of the three-port valve 315 in the facility inlet element substrate 300. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the angle of the bore 1001 in combination with the diameter of the bore 1001 indicates the overall minimum height d of the facility inlet element substrate 300 34 . The "steepness" of the angle can be reduced, but the distance d 35 between the outlet of the two-port valve 311 and the inlet at the position of the three-port valve 315 increases. Thus, after reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can determine the overall minimum height d 34 or the distance d 35 that should be selected to be minimized, or whether a trade-off between the two distances should be considered for a given application.

[0101] Now referring to FIG. 11, which shows a prior art bottom outlet manifold system 1100. In the bottom outlet manifold system 1100, a gas coupling point 1101 (e.g., a gas connector) is attached (connected) to the lower side of a gas delivery component 1105 (e.g., a gas valve). The gas coupling point 1101 then allows gas to be transported to and from the gas delivery component 1105 via a line 1103. As those skilled in the art will recognize, there can be considerable difficulties in approaching the gas coupling point 1101 and the line 1103. All connections or disconnections are made under the gas delivery component 1105, where it may be necessary to remove a substantial portion of the components in the gas tank even to access a single connection.

[0102] Figure 12 According to various embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure, an example of a top manifold system 1210 is shown. In the top manifold system 1210, various connections are made to and from a gas delivery component 1215 (e.g., a gas valve) via a gas coupling point 1211. Various types of C-shaped seals, W-shaped seals, O-rings, or other such techniques and components are used to attach the gas coupling point 1211. The gas coupling point 1211 allows gas to be transported to and from the interconnected components in the gas delivery component 1215 via a line 1213. The line 1213 can be connected to the gas coupling point 1211 by various techniques in the art (e.g., welding). In various embodiments, the gas coupling point 1211 and the line 1213 can be formed and prepared from various materials (e.g., electropolished) in accordance with the aforementioned SEMI standards. In other embodiments, other such materials may be used to form the gas coupling point 1211 and the line 1213.

[0103] As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the top manifold system 1210 allows all connections (e.g., from the gas coupling point 1211 to the substrate) to be formed from the uppermost side of the various gas component primitive substrates described above. Thus, the top manifold system 1210 enables relatively easy access to the substrate and associated gas delivery components.

[0104] Further, the top manifold system 1210 enables faster assembly or reconfiguration compared to the bottom outlet manifold system 1100 of FIG. 11. In the presence of the top manifold system 1210, all substrates can be mounted to the backplane 101 of the gas delivery chamber 100 (see Figure 1 ). The gas coupling point 1211 and the tubing 1213 are then mounted from the top of the substrate, allowing for rapid configurability of all components in the gas delivery system. Additionally, using the top manifold system 1210 to change various aspects of the gas delivery system does not require (as required in the prior art system shown in FIG. 11) disassembling the entire gas system to pull out the manifold.

[0105] In general, the subject matter of the present disclosure included herein generally describes or relates to gas component primitive substrates that can be configured to be quickly assembled into a gas delivery chamber for use in the operation of tools in a semiconductor manufacturing environment. Such tools can include various types of deposition tools (including plasma-based tools such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) tools, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tools, plasma-assisted CVD (PECVD) tools, etc.) and etching tools (e.g., reactive ion etching (RIE) tools), as well as various types of thermal furnaces (such as rapid thermal annealing and oxidation), ion implantation, and various other processing and measurement tools that occur in various semiconductor manufacturing environments and are well known to those skilled in the art. However, the subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited to semiconductor environments and can be used in some mechanical tool environments, such as gas control operations in robotic assembly, manufacturing, and processing environments (e.g., including those operations that use physical vapor deposition (PVD) tools), as well as various other environments. After reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure provided herein, those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure can be used in other types of processing tools as well as a wide variety of other tools, devices, and components.

[0106] As used herein, the term "or" can be understood in an inclusive or exclusive sense. Additionally, other embodiments will be understood by those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the present disclosure provided. Further, after reading and understanding the present disclosure provided herein, those skilled in the art will readily understand that various combinations of the techniques and examples provided herein can all be applied in a variety of configurations.

[0107] Although multiple embodiments are discussed separately, these individual embodiments are not intended to be conceived as separate technologies or designs. As noted above, each of the multiple parts can be interrelated and each may be used separately or in combination with other embodiments discussed herein. For example, although multiple embodiments of methods, operations, and processes have been described, these methods, operations, and processes can be used separately or in various different combinations.

[0108] Accordingly, many modifications and changes will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the present disclosure provided herein. In addition, methods and apparatuses that are functionally equivalent to those described above are also apparent to those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure, in addition to those already enumerated. Parts and features of some embodiments, materials, and construction techniques can be included in or replaced by other embodiments, materials, and construction techniques. Such modifications and changes are intended to fall within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the present disclosure is limited only by the terms of the appended claims and the full scope equivalent to the rights conferred by those claims. It should also be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0109] The abstract of the present disclosure is provided to enable the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. The abstract is presented without being used to interpret or limit the understanding of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing detailed description, it will be appreciated that various features can be combined in one embodiment to streamline the present disclosure. The methods of the present disclosure should not be construed as limiting the claims. Accordingly, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim stands on its own as a separate embodiment.

[0110] The following numbered examples are specific embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure

[0111] Example 1: At least one gas element substrate for a gas delivery chamber. Each of the at least one gas element substrates has at least one location on which a gas delivery component will be mounted. The at least one location has at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in a body of the gas element substrate. At least one pair of first bores including an air flow path are respectively formed on an upstream side and a downstream side of the location of the gas delivery component.

[0112] Example 2: The gas elementary substrate according to Example 1 further comprises: at least one gas elementary substrate inlet port configured to couple the gas elementary substrate to a gas supply line; and at least one gas elementary substrate outlet port for coupling the gas elementary substrate to at least one subsequent component selected from components including an equipment gas inlet supply line and a subsequent gas elementary substrate.

[0113] Example 3: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein each of the at least one pair of first boreholes is formed at an angle and within the gas elementary substrate.

[0114] Example 4: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein a plurality of gas elementary substrates are configured to be coupled to each other at least partially in series within the gas delivery tank.

[0115] Example 5: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein the at least one pair of first boreholes is at least partially arranged in a cross-section separated from the cross-section of other boreholes, and both cross-sections are arranged in the body of the gas elementary substrate.

[0116] Example 6: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein the at least one gas elementary substrate comprises a total of seven gas elementary substrates, and any standard gas delivery tank can be assembled from the seven gas elementary substrates.

[0117] Example 7: The gas elementary substrate according to Example 6, wherein at least some of the seven gas elementary substrates comprise a gas elementary substrate with an integrated valve.

[0118] Example 8: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein a plurality of the at least one gas elementary substrates can be configured to be assembled into a gas delivery tank used for the operation of a tool in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

[0119] Example 9: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein each of the plurality of gas delivery components is configured to be installed only from the uppermost surface of the gas elementary substrate.

[0120] Example 10: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein the gas delivery tank is a standard gas delivery tank used in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

[0121] Example 11: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, wherein the gas delivery component comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of a two-port gas valve, a three-port gas valve, a mass flow controller, a mass flow meter, a regulator, a converter, and a filter.

[0122] Example 12: The gas elementary substrate according to any one of the foregoing examples, further comprising at least one port selected from the group consisting of a purge port and a gas splitting port.

[0123] Example 13: The gas elementary substrate according to Example 12, wherein each of the at least one port is coupled to at least one of the remaining ports and one or more of the gas delivery components via at least one pair of second bores, the at least one pair of second bores comprising gas flow paths formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of the at least one port.

[0124] Example 14: The gas elementary substrate according to Example 12 or Example 13, wherein each of the at least one port is a gas coupling point that is part of a top manifold system, whereby connections are configured to be formed only from the uppermost part of the gas elementary substrate where the at least one port is located to other gas delivery components including other gas elementary substrates.

[0125] Example 15: A plurality of gas elementary substrates used on a standard backplane in a gas delivery box. Each of the plurality of gas elementary substrates comprises at least one location on which a gas delivery component will be mounted, wherein the at least one location comprises at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in the body of the gas elementary substrate, and the gas elementary substrate is configured such that the gas delivery component will be mounted only from the uppermost surface of the gas elementary substrate. At least one pair of first bores, which comprise gas flow paths formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of the gas delivery component, and in at least some of the plurality of gas elementary substrates, the at least one pair of bores is at least partially arranged in a cross-section separated from the cross-section of other bores, both cross-sections being arranged in the body of the gas elementary substrate. At least one port is selected from the group consisting of a purge port and a gas splitting port located in at least some of the plurality of gas elementary substrates.

[0126] Example 16: The gas elementary substrate according to Example 15, wherein each of the at least one port is coupled to at least one of the remaining ports and one or more of the gas delivery components via at least one pair of second bores, the at least one pair of second bores comprising gas flow paths formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of the at least one port.

[0127] Example 17: The gas elementary substrate according to Example 15 or Example 16, wherein each of the at least one port is a gas coupling point that is part of a top manifold system, whereby the connection is configured to form only from the uppermost portion of the gas elementary substrate where the at least one port is located to and from other gas delivery components including other gas elementary substrates.

[0128] Example 18: A gas elementary substrate comprising: a facility inlet containing a gas connection component, a gas splitting port, a purge port, and an outlet port. Each of the gas splitting port, the purge port, and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas elementary substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas elementary substrate is configured to receive a gas delivery component, the gas delivery component including a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, a regulator, a converter, a filter, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve. The gas elementary substrate further has at least a pair of first bores each including an air flow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each of the gas delivery components. The gas elementary substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 239.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of about 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and a pitch distance configured to be about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas elementary substrates.

[0129] Example 19: A gas elementary substrate comprising: a facility inlet containing a gas connection component, a gas splitting port, a purge port, and an outlet port. Each of the gas splitting port, the purge port, and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas elementary substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas elementary substrate is configured to receive a gas delivery component, the gas delivery component including a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve. The gas elementary substrate further has at least a pair of first bores each including an air flow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each of the gas delivery components. The gas elementary substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 148.0 mm, a center-to-center spacing of about 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and a pitch distance configured to be about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas elementary substrates.

[0130] Example 20: A gas elementary substrate includes an inlet port and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas elementary substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas elementary substrate will receive a gas delivery component that includes a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve. The gas elementary substrate further has at least a pair of first bores that include an air flow path, and the at least a pair of first bores are respectively formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each of the gas delivery components. The gas elementary substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 99.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of about 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas elementary substrates.

[0131] Example 21: A gas elementary substrate includes an inlet port and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas elementary substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas elementary substrate is configured to receive a mass flow controller that can be installed without a separate outlet valve. The gas elementary substrate further has at least a pair of first bores that include an air flow path, and the at least a pair of first bores are formed between the inlet port and the outlet port. The gas elementary substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 44.5 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas elementary substrates.

[0132] Example 22: A gas elementary substrate includes an inlet port, a purge port, and an outlet port, and each of the inlet port, the purge port, and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas elementary substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas elementary substrate further includes: a gas delivery component that includes a two-port valve and a three-port valve. The gas elementary substrate further has at least a pair of first bores that include an air flow path, and the at least a pair of first bores are respectively formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each of the two-port valve and the three-port valve. The gas elementary substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas elementary substrates.

[0133] Example 23: A gas element substrate comprising: an inlet port, an additional port, and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port, the additional port, and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas element substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism; the gas element substrate further comprises: a gas delivery component comprising a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve, and the gas element substrate is configured to mount up to two mass flow controllers in opposite directions. The gas element substrate further has at least a pair of first bores each comprising an air flow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each of the first two-port valve and the second two-port valve. The gas element substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas element substrates.

[0134] Example 24: A gas element substrate comprising: an inlet port and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port and the outlet port is configured to be coupled to other gas element substrates or other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas element substrate further comprises: a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve. The gas element substrate further has at least a pair of first bores each comprising an air flow path, the at least a pair of first bores being formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of each two-port valve. The gas element substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, a total height of about 33.8 mm, a total length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas element substrates.

Claims

1. At least one gas cell substrate for use in a gas delivery box, each of the at least one gas cell substrate comprising: at least one location at which a gas delivery component is to be mounted, the at least one location comprising at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in the body of the gas cell substrate; and at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, which are respectively formed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the position of the gas delivery component, Wherein the at least one pair of first bores is at least partially arranged in a cross-section separate from the cross-sections of the other bores, both cross-sections being arranged in the body of the gas cell substrate.

2. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one gas cell substrate inlet port configured to couple the gas cell substrate to a gas supply line; and At least one gas-based substrate outlet port for coupling the gas-based substrate with at least one subsequent component selected from the group consisting of a device gas inlet supply line and a subsequent gas-based substrate.

3. The gas-based substrate of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one pair of first bores is formed at an angle and within the gas-based substrate. 4 . The gas cell substrate of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of gas cell substrates are configured to be coupled to each other at least partially in series in the gas delivery box.

5. The gas-based substrate of claim 1, wherein the at least one gas-based substrate comprises a total of seven gas-based substrates, and any standard gas delivery box can be assembled from the seven gas-based substrates.

6. The gas cell substrate according to claim 5, wherein: At least some of the seven gas cell substrates include a gas cell substrate having an integrated valve.

7. The gas primitive substrate of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the at least one gas primitive substrate are configurable into a gas delivery box for use in assembling a tool for operation in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

8. The gas cell substrate of claim 1, wherein each of the gas cell substrates is configured such that the gas delivery component is mounted only from an uppermost surface of the respective gas cell substrate.

9. The gas cell substrate of claim 1, wherein the gas delivery box is a standard gas delivery box used in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

10. The gas primitive substrate of claim 1, wherein the gas delivery component comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of a two-port gas valve, a three-port gas valve, a mass flow controller, a mass flow meter, a regulator, a converter, and a filter.

11. The gas-based substrate of claim 1, further comprising at least one port selected from the group consisting of a purge port and a gas diversion port.

12. The gas cell substrate of claim 11 , wherein each of the at least one port is coupled to at least one of the remaining ports and one or more of the gas delivery components via at least one pair of second bores, the at least one pair of second bores comprising gas flow paths formed at upstream and downstream sides of the location of the at least one port, respectively.

13. The gas-based substrate of claim 11, wherein each of the at least one port is a gas coupling point comprising a portion of a top manifold system, whereby connections are configured to be made only from an uppermost portion of the gas-based substrate where the at least one port is located to and from other gas delivery components comprising other gas-based substrates.

14. A plurality of gas cell substrates for use on a standard backplane in a gas delivery box, each of the plurality of gas cell substrates comprising: at least one location at which a gas delivery component is to be mounted, the at least one location comprising at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in a body of the gas cell substrate, the gas cell substrate being configured such that the gas delivery component is to be mounted only from an uppermost surface of the gas cell substrate; at least one pair of first bores including gas flow paths, which are formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the location of the gas delivery component, wherein in at least some of the plurality of gas cell substrates, the at least one pair of bores are at least partially arranged in a cross-section separated from the cross-sections of the other bores, both cross-sections being arranged in the body of the gas cell substrate; and At least one port is selected from the group consisting of purge ports and gas diversion ports located in at least some of the plurality of gas cell substrates.

15. The gas primitive substrate of claim 14, wherein each of the at least one port is coupled to at least one of the remaining ports and one or more of the gas delivery components via at least one pair of second bores, the at least one pair of second bores comprising gas flow paths formed at upstream and downstream sides of the location of the at least one port, respectively.

16. The gas-based substrate of claim 14, wherein each of the at least one port is a gas coupling point comprising a portion of a top manifold system, whereby connections are configured to be made only from an uppermost portion of the gas-based substrate where the at least one port is located to and from other gas delivery components comprising other gas-based substrates.

17. A gas element substrate, comprising: The facility entrance, which contains the gas connection components; The gas cell substrate has a gas split port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the gas split port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; The gas cell substrate is configured to receive a gas delivery component comprising a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, a regulator, a converter, a filter, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve; The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores including a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed respectively on an upstream side and a downstream side of a location of each of the gas delivery components; and The gas cell substrate has a width of approximately 28.6 mm, an overall height of approximately 33.8 mm, an overall length of approximately 239.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of approximately 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

18. A gas-based substrate comprising: The facility entrance, which contains the gas connection components; The gas cell substrate has a gas split port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the gas split port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; The gas cell substrate is configured to receive a gas delivery component including a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve; and The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores including a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed respectively on an upstream side and a downstream side of a location of each of the gas delivery components; and The gas cell substrate has a width of approximately 28.6 mm, an overall height of approximately 33.8 mm, an overall length of approximately 148.0 mm, a center-to-center spacing of approximately 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

19. A gas element substrate comprising: The gas cell substrate has an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to be coupled with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; The gas cell substrate is configured to receive a gas delivery component including a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve; and The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores including a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed respectively on an upstream side and a downstream side of a location of each of the gas delivery components; and The gas cell substrate has a width of approximately 28.6 mm, an overall height of approximately 33.8 mm, an overall length of approximately 99.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of approximately 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

20. A gas element substrate comprising: The gas cell substrate has an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to be coupled with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; The gas cell substrate is configured to receive a mass flow controller that can be installed without a separate outlet valve; and The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores containing a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed between the inlet port and the outlet port; and The gas cell substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, an overall height of about 33.8 mm, an overall length of about 44.5 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged with an adjacent gas cell substrate.

21. A gas element substrate, comprising: The gas cell substrate has an inlet port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the inlet port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve and a three-port valve; and The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores including a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed at an upstream side and a downstream side of a position of each of the two-port valve and the three-port valve, respectively; and The gas cell substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, an overall height of about 33.8 mm, an overall length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged with an adjacent gas cell substrate.

22. A gas element substrate comprising: The gas cell substrate has an inlet port, an additional port, and an outlet port, each of the inlet port, the additional port, and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve, the gas cell substrate being configured to mount up to two mass flow controllers in opposite directions; and The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores including a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed at an upstream side and a downstream side of a position of each of the first two-port valve and the second two-port valve, respectively; and The gas cell substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, an overall height of about 33.8 mm, an overall length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged with an adjacent gas cell substrate.

23. A gas element substrate comprising: The gas cell substrate has an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to be coupled with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve; and The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores including a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed respectively on the upstream side and the downstream side of the location of each of the two-port valves; and The gas cell substrate has a width of about 28.6 mm, an overall height of about 33.8 mm, an overall length of about 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of about 30.5 mm when arranged with an adjacent gas cell substrate.

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