Modular component system for gas delivery

Abstract

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

Description

This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202080043581.0, application date April 14, 2020, applicant is Rum Research Company, and invention name is "Modular component system for gas transportation". Priority claim This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62 / 834,241, filed on Apr. 15, 2019, and entitled “Modular-component system for gas delivery,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to various types of equipment used in the semiconductor and related industries. More particularly, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to components for manufacturing or repairing gas delivery boxes used to deliver gases used, for example, in semiconductor processing equipment and other types of equipment that utilize various types of gases. Background Art

[0002] Gas plates or gas boxes are used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment to deliver multiple gases to the vacuum processing chamber to deposit or etch films on substrates. These gas boxes contain multiple gas mass flow controllers (MFCs), with each gas type corresponding to one or more MFCs. MFCs and related components of the MFCs (e.g., valves, regulators, filters, and similar types of gas delivery components) are often installed on "gas sticks" and coupled together. Generally speaking, many gas sticks (e.g., three to thirty or more) are used to provide the necessary gases to the processing chamber of a semiconductor processing tool. On a processing tool, each run may require different gases, flows, and pressures.

[0003] Because end users have diverse requirements regarding process type, gas type and flow rate, fab operational requirements, sensor data needs, and more, gas boxes are often highly customized for each end user and each process application. Current state-of-the-art high-purity gas flow technology may utilize an Integrated Gas System (IGS) with surface-mounted gas flow components. This IGS device utilizes numerous small, highly modular parts to form the gas bar. Because gas bars have a limited set of configurations that repeat across gas bars, the same configuration of many small, highly modular parts may be repeated over and over again. Current systems are overly modular, allowing for a vast number of configurations, only a fraction of which are ever used. These systems require a long time to assemble, integrate, and test, and are prone to errors. This means that quickly customizing gas box configurations is impossible. More inventory line items must be tracked and stored. Furthermore, documenting any design is prohibitively time-consuming. In state-of-the-art 3D CAD modeling systems, each component must be modeled and then constrained within the gas box assembly. Because of the large number of components in current IGS systems, gas box design is prohibitively time-consuming. This excessive design and build time means that the cost of current systems is prohibitive given the reality of the high degree of customization of gas boxes for semiconductor processing tools.

[0004] Thus, in the various embodiments described herein, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a limited number of primitive substrates that are used to rapidly assemble a variety of aerobar types.

[0005] The information described in this section is provided to provide those skilled in the art with a context for the subject matter disclosed below and should not be considered as an admission of prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In one exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes at least one gas cell substrate for use in a gas delivery box, wherein each of the at least one gas cell substrate comprises: 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 exemplary embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter further comprising at least one pair of first bores for a gas flow path formed on upstream and downstream sides of the location of the gas delivery component, respectively.

[0007] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes 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 comprising a gas flow path, the bores being formed upstream and downstream, respectively, of the location of the gas delivery component, the at least one pair of bores being at least partially disposed in a cross-section separated from cross-sections of other bores, both cross-sections being disposed in the body of the gas cell substrate; and at least one port selected from the group consisting of a purge port and a gas diversion port disposed in at least some of the plurality of gas cell substrates.

[0008] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: a facility inlet containing a gas connector component; the gas cell substrate having a gas diversion port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the gas diversion port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to couple to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; the gas cell substrate being configured to receive gas delivery components comprising a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, a regulator, a converter, a filter, additional a two-port valve and a three-port valve; the gas cell substrate further having at least one pair of first bores containing a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively; and the gas cell substrate having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 239.5 mm, a center-to-center spacing of approximately 30.5 mm between adjacent gas delivery components, and being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: a facility inlet containing a gas connector component; the gas cell substrate having a gas diversion port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each of the gas diversion port, the purge port, and the outlet port being configured to couple to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; the gas cell substrate being configured to receive gas delivery components, the gas delivery components comprising a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve; and the gas cell substrate further having at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on upstream and downstream sides of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively; and the gas cell substrate having 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 being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: the gas cell 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 cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; the gas cell substrate being configured to receive gas delivery components, the gas delivery components comprising a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve; and the gas cell substrate further having at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on upstream and downstream sides of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively; and the gas cell substrate having 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 being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0011] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: the gas cell substrate having an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to couple to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism; the gas cell substrate being configured to receive a mass flow controller that can be mounted without a separate outlet valve; and the gas cell substrate further having at least one pair of first bores comprising 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 having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 44.5 mm, and being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0012] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: the gas cell substrate having 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 interconnection mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve and a three-port valve; and the gas cell substrate further having at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on upstream and downstream sides of the location of each of the two-port valve and the three-port valve, respectively; and the gas cell substrate having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 118.0 mm, and being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: the gas cell substrate having 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 couple with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnection 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 having at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on upstream and downstream sides of the location of each of the first two-port valve and the second two-port valve, respectively; and the gas cell substrate having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 118.0 mm, and being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0014] In another exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a gas cell substrate comprising: the gas cell substrate having an inlet port and an outlet port, each of the inlet port and the outlet port being configured to be coupled to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnection mechanism; a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve; and the gas cell substrate further having at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the location of each of the two-port valves, respectively; and the gas cell substrate having a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 118.0 mm, and being configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged together with adjacent gas cell substrates. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of a gas delivery box utilizing various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter;

[0016] Figure 2A A three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment showing several gas cell substrates coupled in series and populated with gas delivery components according to the presently disclosed subject matter;

[0017] Figure 2B A plan view of an exemplary embodiment showing a series of gas component primitive substrates populated with gas delivery components according to the presently disclosed subject matter;

[0018] Figures 3A to 3D An exemplary embodiment of a primitive substrate showing various types and sizes of configurable gas components;

[0019] Figures 3E to 3G Exemplary embodiments of various types and sizes of gas component primitive substrates with integrated valves are shown;

[0020] Figure 3H-A and 3H-B Shows Figures 3A to 3D Configurable gas components of various sizes and primitive substrates Figures 3E to 3G Specific exemplary embodiments of a gas component primitive substrate with an integrated valve;

[0021] Figure 3I shows the methods used to determine e.g. Figure 3A An exemplary embodiment of a substrate-to-substrate distance (pitch distance) of an elementary substrate;

[0022] Figure 3J-A and 3J-B shows the methods used to determine e.g. Figure 3AAn exemplary embodiment of the height of the elementary substrate;

[0023] Figure 3K Display, used to determine e.g. Figure 3A An exemplary embodiment of the length of the elementary substrate;

[0024] Figure 3L A plan view of an example of an exemplary arrangement of gas delivery components mounted in series on a gas component baseplate showing various embodiments according to the presently disclosed subject matter;

[0025] Figures 4A to 4C Shows the Figure 3A Additional details of the facility entrance cell substrate used, for example, to connect a gas supply source to Figure 1 A gas delivery box coupled to a facility inlet;

[0026] Figure 5A and 5B Shows the Figure 3C Additional details of a dual two-port valve primitive base plate, which is used to mount, for example, a purge gas inlet valve and a purge gas converter;

[0027] Figures 6A to 6C Shows the Figure 3E Additional details of a dual valve base plate, such as for use with a combination of a shutoff valve and a purge valve;

[0028] Figure 7A and 7B Shows the Figure 3F Additional details of a dual two-port valve base plate, which is used, for example, to mount two mass flow controllers;

[0029] Figure 8A and 8B Shows the Figure 3G Additional details of the single two-port valve base plate, which is used as a single shutoff valve;

[0030] Figure 9 An example of a typical two-port valve is shown, which is used to illustrate how to determine the widths of different gas component primitive substrates in the gas component primitive substrate;

[0031] Figure 10A and 10B An example is shown for explaining how to determine the heights of different gas component cell substrates in the gas component cell substrate;

[0032] Figure 11 shows a prior art bottom outlet manifold system; and

[0033] Figure 12Examples of top manifold systems according to various embodiments are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] 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 accompanying drawings. In the subsequent description, many specific details have been 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 can be implemented under some or all of these specific details. In other examples, known processing steps, construction techniques, or structures are not described in detail to avoid blurring the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0035] An innovation of the subject matter of the present disclosure can be used to form a unique minimum combination of any known gas box or gas plate for use with, for example, a semiconductor processing tool, and a reduced or minimum size primitive substrate. Current systems have too many degrees of freedom (e.g., excessive modularity) for the efficient design and construction of gas boxes for an integrate-to-order (ITO) assembly scheme. As disclosed herein, various embodiments of a gas system design using a seven-gas manifold substrate primitive can be configured to enable any gas delivery system for any semiconductor processing tool to be constructed. The seven substrate primitives are produced with features that enable them to be retrofitted into existing gas delivery boxes and that enable most or all possible component arrangements.

[0036] Once assembled, the baseplate primitives are mounted to a standard backplane that is generally universal for any known gas stick configuration. The housing, system interfaces, and pneumatic bank that drives the process gas valves are also standardized and universal. Therefore, the design of the gas box only requires placing and restricting a few standard components in a model to create a new gas box assembly. This standardization of the hardware structure and the limited set of primitives used to form the gas connection save a lot of design time. For the construction of the gas box, all hardware structural components, primitive baseplates, and gas flow components can be purchased and stored in a warehouse. Therefore, the lead time for the manufacture of the gas box can be reduced from (for example) 8 to 12 weeks to 1 to 2 weeks.

[0037] Now refer to Figure 1, which shows a three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of a gas delivery box 100 using various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the gas delivery box 100 can be obtained from a number of sources. The gas delivery box 100 can be configured to accommodate a number of gas delivery channels for supplying gas to one or more equipment gas inlet supply lines of, for example, various 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 box 100 can be configured with fewer than 10 channels, 10 to 20 channels, or more than 20 channels, each of which can be coupled to multiple gas supply sources (e.g., multiple precursor gases). The gas delivery box 100 includes a backing plate 101 to which various components of the presently disclosed subject matter can be secured (e.g., by screwing or other physical or chemical connection or adhesion), as described in more detail below. The gas delivery box 100 is shown containing a plurality of gas component cells 103 populated with gas delivery components such as valves, mass flow controllers, pressure transducers, pressure regulators, etc. Various of the gas component cell substrates are described in detail below.

[0038] A standard gas delivery box (such as gas delivery box 100) can remain unchanged and can directly implement the gas component base plate described herein. The back plate 101, housing, printed circuit board, cables, pneumatic reservoir and other components (not all of which are necessarily shown) are each well known in the art.

[0039] Figure 2A A three-dimensional view 200 of an exemplary embodiment of several gas component cell substrates coupled in series and populated with gas delivery components is shown in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter. Figure 2A The gas component element substrate and the gas delivery component are included in Figure 1 The gas delivery channel used in the gas delivery box 100. Therefore, Figure 2A The three-dimensional view 200 is presented as an overview of an exemplary embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. After reading and understanding the presently disclosed subject matter, one skilled in the art will recognize that portions of the gas delivery channel may be combined, in whole or in part, with other portions of other gas delivery channels (e.g., in series, in parallel, or in a variety of series and parallel combinations). Figure 2A The various gas component element substrates are described in detail below.

[0040] 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., an on-off pneumatic valve). A mass flow controller 205 is bridged from the two-port valve primitive substrate 201 to the facility inlet primitive substrate 207. Thus, the mass flow controller 205 is connected from the outlet port (not explicitly shown) of the facility inlet primitive substrate. Figure 2A ) across to the inlet port of the two-port valve element substrate 201 (also not explicitly shown in Figure 2A Each of the facility entrance elemental substrate 207 and the two-port valve elemental substrate 201 is described below with reference to Figures 4A to 4B as well as Figure 8A and 8B Details. 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 diversion port 215, a filter 217, a converter 219, a regulator 221, a lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve 223 and a gas connector component 225.

[0041] The purge valve 209 and purge port 211 allow purge gas (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, argon, various types of precursor gases, etc.) to purge the mass flow controller 205. The gas diversion port 215 allows additional gas flow to or from the facility inlet primitive substrate 207 (between the filter 217 and the mass flow controller inlet valve 213). Each of the purge valve 209, purge port 211, gas diversion port 215, and others can be coupled to other primitive substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism, as described below. Figure 12 Details.

[0042] The mass flow controller inlet valve 213 provides an additional isolation means (e.g., an additional on-off 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 specified cut-off diameter that are dropped by one or more components upstream of the filter 217 (e.g., valves, regulators, etc.). The converter 219 can include a pressure converter. In various embodiments, the regulator 221 is a pressure regulator that provides a substantially constant pressure for the gas channel.

[0043] After reading and understanding the disclosed subject matter, those skilled in the art will recognize that not all of these components (e.g., valves, MFCs, filters, etc.) will be used or required in all applications. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that other applications of gas element primitive substrates may include additional of these substrates and other components mounted or included on or with the primitive substrates.

[0044] LOTO valve 223 is designed for applications that prioritize personal and equipment safety. For example, in the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees various industry standards that include the ability to shut down machinery or equipment during maintenance to prevent the release of hazardous substances (such as gas). Similar government agencies exist in most countries and regions around the world.

[0045] For example, LOTO valve 223 can be used to prevent the release of one or more gases that could be particularly hazardous to personal safety or mechanical safety and operation during maintenance procedures (e.g., replacing one or more components from one or more gas component baseplates). In one specific example, those skilled in the art are aware that silane (SiH4) gas is an inorganic, colorless, gaseous compound of silicon and hydrogen that has strong reducing properties and is pyrophoric in air. Therefore, if mixed, oxygen and silane could potentially explode or ignite. LOTO valve 223 can prevent such unintentional release of such gases.

[0046] In various embodiments, the gas connector component 225 can include a pipe connector known in the art (e.g., a pipe connector can be obtained, for example, from the Swagelok Company of Solon, Ohio, USA or Parker Hannifin Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio, USA). In other embodiments, for example, the gas connector component 225 can be flared to a size known in the art. Metal-to-metal sealing features, or welded to male In other embodiments, the gas connector component 225 can be formed as, for example O-ring face seal joints ( and Swagelok® sealing fittings are registered trademarks of Swagelok Company of Solon, Ohio, USA.) Those skilled in the art will recognize that other types of fittings may also be used.

[0047] Now refer to Figure 2B , a plan view 230 of an exemplary embodiment of a series of gas component primitive substrates populated with gas delivery components, in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter, is shown. The plan view 230 provides one embodiment of the order in which various components (e.g., valves, regulators, filters, etc.) may be placed on the various gas component primitive substrates described herein.

[0048] For example, when the gas delivery box 100 (see Figure 1) When performing repairs or other maintenance, the LOTO valve 223 is usually 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 Figure 2B The gas used in the series of gas component primitive substrates (gas channels) is provided with a nearly constant pressure. A converter 219 is located immediately downstream of the regulator 221 to monitor, for example, the pressure in the gas channel. A filter 217 is installed upstream of the gas diversion 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 (comprising a two-port valve in this embodiment) is located downstream of the gas diversion port 215 to avoid interruption of the gas flow to other gas component primitive substrates while still being able to shut off the gas flow to 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 the mass flow controller 205 to be purged so that it can be purged without having to close the LOTO valve 223 (which would also shut off the gas flow to other components via the gas diversion port 215) (for example, due to failure of the mass flow controller 205).

[0049] After reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will quickly recognize that Figure 2B This plan view 230 of an exemplary embodiment of a base substrate populated with a series of gas flow components may allow for the configuration of various gas flow components in locations other than those shown. Thus, the positions of the gas flow components may be arranged in any desired order deemed appropriate for a given application.

[0050] Figures 3A to 3D An exemplary embodiment of a primitive substrate showing various types and sizes of configurable gas components is shown. Figure 3A As shown in FIG, an example of a facility entrance elemental substrate 300 includes a gas connector component 302, and the facility entrance elemental substrate 300 is configured to receive a two-port LOTO valve 301, a regulator 303, a converter 305, a filter 307, a gas diversion port 309, an additional two-port valve 311, a purge port 313, a three-port valve 315, and an outlet port 317 at different locations. Therefore, the facility entrance elemental substrate 300 can be used with Figure 2A and 2BThe facility entrance primitive substrate 207 is the same or similar. 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, converter 305, filter 307 and additional two-port valve 311 can all be interchanged, depending on the specific application. Figures 3A to 3D The locations of the various gas delivery components in FIG. 5 are presented merely as an aid to understanding the various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter.

[0051] like Figure 3B As shown, an example of an additional facility inlet cell substrate 320 includes a gas connector component 322 and is configured to receive a two-port LOTO valve 321, a gas diversion port 323, an additional two-port valve 325, a purge port 327, a three-port valve 329, and an outlet port 331 at different locations.

[0052] like Figure 3C As shown, an example of a dual two-port valve cell substrate 340 (eg, a two-port / two-port substrate) is shown including an inlet port 341 and an outlet port 347 and configured to receive a first two-port valve 343 and a second two-port valve 345 at different locations.

[0053] 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 the outlet port 353 in the substrate allows the MFC to be installed without a separate outlet valve.

[0054] Figures 3E to 3G Exemplary embodiments of various types and sizes of gas component baseplates with integrated valves are shown. One skilled in the art will recognize that each baseplate with an integrated valve can be quickly used. Figures 3A to 3D However, having these valves already integrated as part of the substrate will speed up the production of the gas delivery channels described below.

[0055] For 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 locations for a two-port valve 363 and a three-port valve 367. The two-port valve 363 allows for shutoff operation, and the three-port valve 367 (in combination with the purge port 365) allows for purge operation, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0056] Figure 3FAn example of a dual two-port valve substrate 370 (e.g., a two-port / two-port substrate) is shown, which 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, for example, two mass flow controllers (e.g., MFCs connected together) mounted in opposite directions.

[0057] Figure 3G An example of a single two-port valve substrate 380 (e.g., a two-port substrate) is shown, which 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. In addition, the single two-port valve substrate 380 can be used with Figure 2A and 2B The two-port valve element substrate 201 is the same or similar.

[0058] Figures 3A to 3D Various ports in 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 shown below. Figure 12 For example, each of the inlet ports 341, 351, 361, 371, 381 of a substrate can be coupled to or from a different one or more of the outlet ports 317, 331, 347, 353, 369, 379, 385 on the other substrates. The top manifold system enables each of these connections to be made from the top side of the elementary substrate, rather than from below (or the lower side) as shown in FIG11 of the prior art.

[0059] Those skilled in the art will now recognize that Figure 3A and 3B Each of the gas component primitive facility inlet substrates can be connected with Figures 3C to 3G A variety of gas component base plate combinations can be quickly prepared to be installed in, for example, a gas delivery box 100 (see Figure 1 ) any number of gas delivery channels. In addition, Figures 3A to 3G The elementary substrate is also referenced Figures 4A to 8B A specific part of the is shown in detail. For example, Figures 4A to 4C Shows the Figure 3A The elementary substrate of the configurable gas component is used as e.g. Figure 1 For additional details on the gas delivery box entrance to the facility, see Figures 4A to 8BSpecific portions of the drawings also show several locations (not explicitly labeled or numbered, but understandable to one skilled in the art) where various different types of fasteners are used to mount various gas delivery components to various substrates. For example, in various embodiments, the gas delivery components can be mounted using metal "C" seals or "W" seals to seal the gas path. The screws used in these fasteners are particularly low friction, high strength screws to compress the metal seals. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these types of fasteners (available, for example, from American Seal and Engineering, Orange, Connecticut, USA) are suitable for mounting various gas delivery components to various substrates. of America, Inc., Fremont, California, USA). In other embodiments, fasteners such as machine screws may be used.

[0060] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that each gas element substrate can be processed or otherwise formed from a variety of materials. For example, for ultra-high purity (UHP) gas systems, standards in the semiconductor industry (e.g., issued by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), Milpitas, California, USA) include "Specification for 316L Stainless Steel ... [for] Ultra-High Purity Semiconductor Manufacturing Applications," which uses double melting to increase purity according to SEMI Standard F20. SEMI's "Specification for Surface Condition of Wetted Surfaces of Stainless Steel Parts" uses electrolytically polished 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) known in the art. These high-performance alloys include, for example, (Available from various sources, including Inco Alloys International, Inc., Huntington, West Virginia, USA) or (Available from various sources, including Haynes Stellite Company, Kokomo, Indiana, USA, and Union Carbide Corporation, New York, New York, USA.) In other examples, such as non-UHP gas systems, the substrate may be formed from, for example, 316L grade stainless steel, which is not necessarily SEMI compliant. Still further, for applications that do not convey caustic or corrosive gases, another material may be used to form the substrate. For example, in these applications, the substrate may be formed from 304 grade stainless steel, 6061 aluminum or other aluminum alloys, copper or zinc alloys (e.g., brass), or various types of machinable and / or formable polymers and high performance plastics (e.g., or Both are well known in the art).

[0061] After reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will further recognize that the various types of gas delivery components described herein may be mounted to various primitive substrates using, for example, machine screws supplemented by metal seals (e.g., as discussed above). In these cases, each seal may provide a maximum helium leak rate of approximately 10 -9 In other examples, depending on the type of gas being delivered, it is known in the art that O-rings made of fluorinated elastomers or other types of fluorinated elastomers or fluorinated elastomers can be used to prevent gas leakage between the gas delivery component and the base plate.

[0062] Furthermore, after reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will recognize that more or less gas component baseplates may be used in various applications, and that the number of gas component baseplates may be tailored to the particular type of gas delivery box 100 used with various process tools or equipment used in different industries (see FIG. Figure 1 ) may vary depending on the specific type of substrate. For example, in the data storage industry, a process tool used to produce a thin film head may require fewer gas component primitive substrates (e.g., fewer gas channels) than a process tool used to produce films produced by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the arrangement of gas delivery components of each of the various gas component primitive substrates may vary depending on the specific use and application. Accordingly, each of these different arrangements should be considered to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0063] Figure 3H-A and 3H-B Shows Figures 3A to 3D Configurable gas components of the primitive substrate and Figures 3E to 3GSpecific exemplary embodiments of different sizes of gas component primitive substrates with integrated valves. Figure 3H-A and 3H-B As shown, these seven primitive substrates (four gas component configurable primitive substrates 382 and three gas component primitive substrates 384) enable all configurations of the gas box to be constructed. Various sizes match (for example) the mounting pattern of the backplane 101 (see Figure 1 ), various elementary substrates of the subject matter of the present disclosure may be attached to the back plate 101. In addition, as shown below with reference to Figures 3I to 3K As detailed herein, dimensions are selected to facilitate assembly of standard components, such as two-port and three-port valves, along the length of various primitive substrates and throughout the primitive substrates. Each of these dimensions is provided solely to assist those skilled in the art in gaining a better understanding of the subject matter of this disclosure. However, after reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that dimensions other than those provided herein may be used in a given application.

[0064] For example, continue to refer to Figure 3H-A In a specific exemplary embodiment, the facility inlet primitive substrate 300 is a facility inlet that can be used for, for example, a two-port LOTO valve, a regulator, a converter, a filter, a two-port valve, a three-port valve, a gas sharing, and a purge. The total length d1 can be approximately 239.5 mm, the width d2 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance d3 between the ports can be approximately 11.2 mm, and the distance d4 can be approximately 109.2 mm.

[0065] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the additional facility inlet primitive substrate 320 is a facility inlet that can be used for, for example, a two-port LOTO valve, a two-port valve, a three-port valve, gas sharing, and purging. The total length d5 can be approximately 148.0 mm, the width d6 can be approximately 28.6 mm, the distance d7 between the ports can be approximately 11.2 mm, and the distance d8 can be approximately 109.2 mm.

[0066] In another specific exemplary embodiment, the dual two-port valve element substrate 340 is a two-port / two-port valve substrate that enables, for example, mounting two components in series. The total length d9 can be approximately 99.5 mm, and the width d 10 The distance d between the ports can be about 28.6 mm. 11 can be about 11.2 mm, and the distance d 12 It can be about 90.7 mm.

[0067] 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. The components can be installed in series. The total length d 13It can be about 44.5 mm, with a width d 14 The distance d between the ports can be about 28.6 mm. 15 It can be about 11.2 mm, and the distance d 16 It can be about 35.7 mm.

[0068] In other examples, and now continuing with reference to Figure 3H-B In a specific exemplary embodiment, the dual valve substrate 360 is a two-port / three-port valve, which can be used as a shut-off valve and a purge valve, for example. 17 It can be about 118.0 mm, with a width d 18 It can be about 28.6 mm, the distance d 19 can be approximately 73.0 mm, and the distance d 20 It can be about 21.6 mm.

[0069] 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 (eg, connected mass flow controllers). 21 It can be about 118.0 mm, with a width d 22 It can be about 28.6 mm, the distance d 23 It may be approximately 73.0 mm, and the distance d24 may be approximately 21.6 mm.

[0070] 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. 25 It can be about 118.0 mm, with a width d 26 It can be about 28.6 mm, the distance d 27 It can be about 24.0 mm, the distance d 28 It can be about 21.6 mm.

[0071] Figure 3I An exemplary embodiment is shown, for example, for Figure 3A Determination of the distance (pitch distance) between the substrates of the elementary substrate. Figure 3I The spacing of the elementary substrates (pitch spacing) is taken into account. Minimizing the width spacing between the rods can increase or maximize the available space for the finished assembly. Due to the mounting flange dimensions of the components plus tolerances (e.g., see below Figure 9(See the typical valve 901 shown), the minimum spacing available is about 29 mm. A pair of flame-impingement panels 386 (used in many gas boxes) are mounted between the gas sticks (e.g., one of the pair on each side of the gas stick). In various embodiments, the thickness of the flange containing the FIP panels 386 is 0.8 mm. Therefore, due to the mounting flange width and thickness of the FIP panels 386, the minimum spacing between adjacent gas sticks becomes about 29.8 mm. In various specific exemplary embodiments, approximately 0.7 mm is added due to tolerance stack-up, resulting in Figure 3I The pitch distance d shown in FIG is about 30.5 mm. 29 For comparison purposes, currently available gas delivery substrates only allow for a minimum spacing of 35.6 mm.

[0072] Figure 3J-A and 3J-B Shows, for example, Figure 3A In various embodiments, the height of the gas substrate is considered to minimize the height of the substrate block to increase or maximize the available space of the completed assembly. In order to clear the upstream of the MFC and refer to Figure 3J-A and 3J-B The facility entrance primitive substrate 300 has an outlet position at the three-port valve 315 position at the purge port 313, and may be implemented downstream of the two-port shutoff valve located at the additional two-port valve 311 position with a connecting angled bore 319. The connecting angled bore 319 connects the two-port valve 311 position and the three-port valve 315 position, thereby forming a gas path between the two valves between the outlet of the two-port valve and the inlet of the three-port valve. 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 minimum height distance d 30 The height of the base plate is determined as follows: Figure 10A and 10B Details.

[0073] Figure 3K Shows, for example, Figure 3A An exemplary embodiment of the length of the elementary substrate. Figure 3K The facility entrance primitive substrate 300 can minimize the length of the substrate block to increase or maximize the available space for the completed assembly. In this example, because the previous reference Figure 3I The installation considerations of the approximately 30.5 mm dimension discussed above, in various embodiments, the 30.5 mm horizontal spacing (e.g., a distance d of approximately 30.5 mm may be repeated three times) 32) can be repeated in the vertical direction. For example, having the same distance in both the horizontal and vertical directions can allow the component bridging between component positions to be used horizontally or vertically. As will be understood by those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, another distance d 33 (about 24.5mm) can also be repeated three times.

[0074] Figure 3L A plan view of an example of an exemplary arrangement of gas delivery components mounted in series on a gas component cell substrate is shown according to various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. Gas component cells coupled in series and filled with gas delivery components according to the presently disclosed subject matter are also described above with reference to Figure 2A and 2B A discussion was held.

[0075] In a specific exemplary embodiment, the LOTO valve 223 is the first component installed and protects personnel when servicing the gas delivery box 100 (see FIG. Figure 1 ). The regulator 221 is upstream of the converter 219 so that the converter 219 can dictate the setting of the regulator 221. The filter 217 is downstream of the regulator 219 to capture most or all of the particles produced by the regulator 221. The filter 217 is also upstream of the gas diversion port 215 so that multiple gas sticks can filter when sharing gas. A two-port valve (e.g., the mass flow controller inlet valve 213) is downstream of the gas diversion port 215 so that when the two-port valve is activated, other lines are not closed. A three-port valve (e.g., a purge valve 209) is downstream of the two-port valve to allow purge through 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 purge upstream of the MFC when the MFC fails (e.g., in a closed position).

[0076] Now refer to Figures 4A to 4C , showing the Figure 3A The facility entrance element substrate 300 is used as (for example) Figure 1 Detailed information is provided for the facility inlet of the gas delivery box. 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, these valves are shown only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of the additional details to those skilled in the art. Therefore, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0077] Figure 4AFIG4 is a three-dimensional view 400 of the facility entrance element substrate 300, and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 401 and a plurality of gas delivery component mounting holes 403. The substrate mounting hole 401 may be, for example, a through hole that enables the facility entrance element substrate 300 to be physically mounted to the facility entrance element substrate 300 using, for example, machine screws or other fastening means known in the art. Figure 1 The gas delivery box 100. The gas delivery component mounting holes 403 may be, for example, screw holes, which enable various gas delivery components to be mounted to the facility inlet unit base plate 300 together with metal seals (such as C seals or W seals, as described above) or the O-rings also described above, by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0078] Figure 4B Shown in Figure 4A FIG4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view 410 of section AA of FIG4. The cross-sectional view 410 shows a plurality of bores 405 that connect various port locations for connecting various gas delivery components to the gas flowing in the facility inlet cell substrate 300. For example, the bores 405 connect the location of the regulator 303 to the location of the LOTO valve 223. The bores 405 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., mechanical boring or laser boring).

[0079] Figure 4C Shown in Figure 4A 420 of an example cross-sectional view of section BB. The cross-sectional view 420 shows additional bores that connect various port locations for connecting various gas delivery components to the gas flowing in the facility inlet cell substrate 300. Thus, each bore of section AA and section BB can be at least partially arranged in a separate cross-sectional plane within the body of the facility inlet cell substrate 300. Those skilled in the art will recognize that some or all of the gas cell substrates described herein can be similarly constructed to have bores in one or more cross-sectional planes in the corresponding bodies of the gas cell substrates described herein. Figure 4C In an exemplary embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bore 407 can be bored or otherwise machined or etched from one end of the facility inlet cell substrate 300. In this embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bore 407 has a capping material 409 that is welded, formed, placed, or embedded after the bore 407 is formed. In a specific exemplary embodiment, the capping material 409 is welded into place after the internal passage 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 cell 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 fluoroelastomers known in the art) may be used to prevent gas from leaking around the capping material 409.

[0080] Figure 5A and 5B Shows the Figure 3C The dual two-port valve primitive substrate 340 in FIG. 1 is used to mount additional details such as a purge gas inlet valve and a purge gas converter. However, the description of these valves is intended only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of these additional details to those skilled in the art. Therefore, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0081] Figure 5A FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view 500 of a dual two-port valve element substrate 340, and is shown as including one of a plurality of substrate mounting holes 501 and a plurality of gas delivery component mounting holes 503. The substrate mounting hole 501 may be, for example, a through hole that allows the dual two-port valve element substrate 340 to be physically mounted to the substrate 340 using, for example, machine screws or other fastening means known in the art. Figure 1 The gas delivery box 100. The gas delivery component mounting hole 503 can be, for example, a screw hole, so that various gas delivery components can be mounted to the dual two-port valve element substrate 340 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0082] Figure 5B Shown in Figure 5A FIG5 shows a cross-sectional view 510 of an example of a cross-sectional view CC of FIG5 . 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 gases 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. The location of the first two-port valve 343 is then connected to the location of the second two-port valve 345, which in turn is connected to the outlet port 347. Figure 4B The bore 505 can be formed by various machining, etching and other methods known in the art (eg, mechanical boring or laser boring).

[0083] Figures 6A to 6C Shows the Figure 3E 1 and 2. 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, these valves are shown only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of the additional details to those skilled in the art. Therefore, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0084] Figure 6A FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional view 600 of the dual valve base plate 360 and is shown to include one of a plurality of base plate mounting holes 601 and a plurality of gas delivery component mounting holes 603. Figures 4A to 5B In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG, the substrate mounting hole 601 can be, for example, a through hole that enables the dual valve substrate 360 to be physically mounted to the substrate 360 by, for example, machine screws or other fastening means known in the art. Figure 1 The gas delivery box 100 is mounted on the gas delivery box 100. The gas delivery component mounting holes 503 may be, for example, screw holes, which enable various gas delivery components to be mounted to the dual-valve base plate 360 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0085] Figure 6B Shown in Figure 6A 610 shows a plurality of bores 605 that connect the various inlet ports 361 to the two-port valve 363 and the purge port 365 to the three-port valve 367. As described above, the bores 605 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., machine boring or laser boring).

[0086] Figure 6C Shown in Figure 6A The cross-sectional view 620 shows an example of a cross-sectional view of section EE. The cross-sectional view 620 shows an additional bore 607 that connects, for example, the two-port valve 363 and the three-port valve 367 to each other and to the outlet port 369 (not shown). Figure 6C ). In this exemplary embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bore 607 can be bored or otherwise machined or etched from one end of the dual valve substrate 360. As also shown in this embodiment, the horizontal cross-section of the bore 607 has a capping material 609 welded, formed, placed, or embedded after the bore 607 is formed. In a specific exemplary embodiment, the capping material 609 is welded in place after the internal passage has 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, the O-ring material (e.g., as known in the art, depending on the type of gas being delivered) is used. or other types of perfluorinated elastomers or fluoroelastomers) can be used to prevent gas from leaking around the capping material 609.

[0087] Figure 7A and 7B Shows the Figure 3FAdditional details of a dual two-port valve substrate 370 for mounting, for example, two mass flow controllers are shown. 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 installed. However, these valves are shown 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.

[0088] Figure 7A FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view 700 of a dual two-port valve base plate 370, and is shown as including one of a plurality of base plate mounting holes 701 and a plurality of gas delivery component mounting holes 703. The base plate mounting hole 701 may be, for example, a through hole that enables the dual two-port valve base plate 370 to be physically mounted to the base plate 370 using, for example, machine screws or other fastening means known in the art. Figure 1 The gas delivery box 100. The gas delivery component mounting hole 703 can be, for example, a screw hole, which enables various 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.

[0089] Figure 7B Shown in Figure 7A 7. A cross-sectional view 710 of an example of a cross-sectional view of section FF is shown. 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, a first of the bores 705 connects the inlet port 371 to the first two-port valve 373, which in turn connects the first two-port valve 373 to the additional gas port 375 via a second of the bores 705. The additional gas port 375 is also connected to the second two-port valve 377 via the bore 705, which in turn connects to the outlet port 379 via the bore 705. The bores 705 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., machine boring or laser boring).

[0090] Figure 8A and 8B Shows the Figure 3G 1 and 2. The single two-port valve substrate 380 is shown as including a two-port valve 383. However, this valve is shown only to more fully illustrate the overall concept of this additional detail to those skilled in the art. Therefore, many other configurations of valves or other gas delivery components are possible.

[0091] Figure 8AFIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view 800 of a single two-port valve base plate 380 and is shown to include one of a plurality of base plate mounting holes 801 and a plurality of gas delivery component mounting holes 803. The base plate mounting hole 801 may be, for example, a through hole that enables the single two-port valve base plate 380 to be physically mounted to the base plate 380 using, for example, machine screws or other fastening means known in the art. Figure 1 The gas delivery box 100. The gas delivery component mounting hole 803 can be, for example, a screw hole, which enables various gas delivery components to be mounted to the single two-port valve base plate 380 by machine screws or other fastening devices known in the art.

[0092] Figure 8B Shown in Figure 8A 810 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a cross-section GG of FIG. The cross-sectional view 810 shows a plurality of bores 805 that connect various port locations for connecting various gas delivery components to the gas flowing within the single two-port valve substrate 370. For example, a first one of the bores 805 connects the inlet port 381 to the two-port valve 383, which in turn connects the two-port valve 383 to the outlet port 385 via a second one of the bores 805. As described above, the bores 805 can be formed by various machining, etching, and other methods known in the art (e.g., machine boring or laser boring).

[0093] Figure 9 An example of a typical valve 901 (or any other gas delivery component) is shown to illustrate how to determine the Figures 3A to 3G The width of the various gas component base substrates shown. Typical valves 901 may include, for example, LOTO valves 223 or two-port valves 203 (see Figure 2A ), or three-port valve 315 (see Figure 3A ). The width d of a typical valve 901 33 The minimum width among the various widths of the various gas component cell substrates is determined, at least in part, to maximize or increase the available space of the completed gas stick assembly.

[0094] In a specific exemplary embodiment, due to the size of the mounting flange of the exemplary valve 901 (approximately 28.6 mm in this example) plus the width d of the flange tolerance, 33, the minimum spacing available is about 29 mm. In semiconductor manufacturing facilities, some equipment manufacturers also use additional space for, for example, flame impingement plates (FIPs) that will be installed between adjacent gas rods. In this specific exemplary embodiment, a FIP thickness of about 0.8 mm is selected. Therefore, due to the mounting flange width and the FIP thickness, the minimum spacing between adjacent gas rods 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 rods only allow for a minimum spacing of 35.6 mm. Therefore, in a gas delivery box with twenty-four gas delivery substrates, a total width of more than about 122 mm (about 4.8 inches) is saved. Thought of in another way, according to an embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure, the width saved of more than about 122 mm allows an additional four gas delivery substrates to be added. Figure 1 The gas delivery box 100.

[0095] However, after reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will recognize that this minimum width embodiment is provided only to illustrate an example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of other minimum widths can be discovered and utilized, depending on at least some of the considerations presented in this particular exemplary embodiment.

[0096] Figure 10A and 10B Examples are shown to illustrate how the height of various gas component primitive substrates may be determined. For example, in various embodiments, the height of the substrate may be reduced or minimized to increase or maximize the available space for the completed substrate component.

[0097] Figure 10A is a three-dimensional view 1000 of the facility entrance primitive substrate 300, and emphasizes the above reference Figure 3A and 4A 4C. As also described above, in one embodiment, a mass flow controller (not shown) Figure 10A The three-port valve 315 upstream of the mass flow controller and the two-port valve 311 upstream of the three-port valve 315 can be used for scavenging, and the scavenging port 313 is arranged between the two valves 311 and 315. In order 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 dictates the minimum height of the baseplate due to the angle of the bore (determined by the separation distance between the valves) and the diameter of the bore.

[0098] Figure 10B Shown in Figure 10A 1010 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a cross-section HH of the facility entrance cell substrate 300. The cross-sectional view 1010 shows a bore 1001 in the facility entrance cell substrate 300 that connects the outlet at the location of the two-port valve 311 and the inlet at the location of the three-port valve 315. A person skilled in the art will recognize that the angle of the bore 1001 combined with the diameter of the bore 1001 dictates the overall minimum height d of the facility entrance cell substrate 300. 34 The “steepness” of this angle can be reduced by increasing the distance d between the locations of the outlet of the two-port valve 311 and the inlet of the three-port valve 315. 35 Therefore, after reading and understanding the subject matter of this disclosure, one skilled in the art can determine the overall minimum height d 34 or distance d 35 Should it be chosen to minimize, or should a compromise between the two distances be considered for a given application.

[0099] Referring now to FIG. 11 , a prior art bottom outlet manifold system 1100 is shown. In this 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). This gas coupling point 1101 then allows gas to be delivered to and from the gas delivery component 1105 via a conduit 1103. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, access to this gas coupling point 1101 and the conduit 1103 can present considerable difficulty. All connections and disconnections are made underneath the gas delivery component 1105, which may require the removal of a significant portion of the components within the gas box in order to access even a single connection.

[0100] Figure 12 According to various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, an example of a top manifold system 1210 is shown. In the top manifold system 1210, various connections are made to and from gas delivery components 1215 (e.g., gas valves) via gas coupling points 1211. Gas coupling points 1211 are attached using, for example, various types of C-seals, W-seals, O-rings, or other techniques and components described above. Gas coupling points 1211 allow gas to be delivered to and from interconnected components within the gas delivery components 1215 via tubing 1213. Tubing 1213 can be connected to gas coupling points 1211 using various techniques known in the art (e.g., welding). In various embodiments, the gas coupling points 1211 and tubing 1213 can be formed from various materials and prepared (e.g., electropolished) according to the aforementioned SEMI standards. In other embodiments, other materials described above may be used to form the gas coupling points 1211 and tubing 1213.

[0101] As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the top manifold system 1210 allows all connections (e.g., the gas coupling points 1211 to the substrate) to be made from the uppermost side of the substrate, which is the base of the various gas components described above. Thus, the top manifold system 1210 provides relatively easy access to the substrate and associated gas delivery components.

[0102] Furthermore, the top manifold system 1210 allows for quicker assembly or reassembly than the bottom outlet manifold system 1100 of FIG. 11 . With the top manifold system 1210 , all base plates can be mounted to the back plate 101 of the gas delivery box 100 (see FIG. Figure 1 ). The gas coupling points 1211 and the tubing 1213 are then installed from the top of the base plate, allowing for rapid configurability of all components in the gas delivery system. Furthermore, using the top manifold system 1210 to change various aspects of the gas delivery system does not require disassembling the entire gas system to pull out the manifold (as is required with prior art systems such as those shown in FIG. 11 ).

[0103] In general, the subject matter of the present disclosure contained herein generally describes or relates to gas component primitive substrates that can be configured to be quickly assembled into gas delivery boxes for use in the operation of tools in semiconductor manufacturing environments. 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 found in various semiconductor manufacturing environments and 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 machine tool environments, such as gas control operations in robotic assembly, manufacturing and processing environments (e.g., including those using 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 may be used in other types of processing tools and a wide variety of other tools, equipment, and components.

[0104] As used herein, the term "or" may be understood in an inclusive or exclusive sense. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate other embodiments after reading and understanding the disclosure provided herein. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various combinations of the techniques and examples provided herein may be employed in a variety of configurations after reading and understanding the disclosure provided herein.

[0105] Although various embodiments are discussed separately, these individual embodiments are not intended to be considered independent techniques or designs. As noted above, each of the various parts may be interrelated and each may be used separately or in combination with other embodiments discussed herein. For example, although various embodiments of methods, operations, and processes have been described, these methods, operations, and processes may be used separately or in various combinations.

[0106] Therefore, many modifications and changes can be made, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading and understanding the disclosure provided herein. In addition, in addition to those listed, functionally equivalent methods and devices within the scope of the present disclosure will also be apparent to those skilled in the art as described above. Portions and features of some embodiments, materials and construction techniques may be included in or replaced by other embodiments, materials and construction techniques. Such modifications and changes are expected to fall within the scope of the claims. Therefore, the present disclosure is limited only by the terms of the appended claims and the full scope of the rights granted by these claims. It is also necessary to understand that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting.

[0107] The Abstract of this disclosure is provided to enable the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the present disclosure. This Abstract is presented without being used to interpret or limit the understanding of the claims. Furthermore, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it is understood that various features may be combined together in one embodiment to streamline the disclosure. This disclosed method should not be interpreted as limiting the claims. Therefore, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing independently as a separate embodiment. The following numbered examples are specific embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0108] Embodiment 1: At least one gas cell substrate for use in a gas delivery box. Each of the at least one gas cell substrates 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 the body of the gas cell substrate. At least one pair of first bores containing gas flow paths are formed upstream and downstream of the location of the gas delivery component, respectively.

[0109] Embodiment 2: The gas-based substrate according to embodiment 1 further comprises: at least one gas-based substrate inlet port configured to couple the gas-based substrate with 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 components comprising an apparatus gas inlet supply line and a subsequent gas-based substrate.

[0110] Embodiment 3: The gas-based substrate of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein each of the at least one pair of first bores is formed at an angle and within the gas-based substrate.

[0111] Embodiment 4: The gas cell substrate according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein a plurality of gas cell substrates are configured to be coupled at least partially in series with each other in the gas delivery box.

[0112] Embodiment 5: The gas-based substrate according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one pair of first bores are at least partially arranged in a cross-section separate from cross-sections of other bores, both cross-sections being arranged in the body of the gas-based substrate.

[0113] Embodiment 6: The gas primitive substrate according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the at least one gas primitive substrate comprises a total of seven gas primitive substrates from which any standard gas delivery box can be assembled.

[0114] Embodiment 7: The gas primitive substrate of Embodiment 6, wherein at least some of the seven gas primitive substrates comprise gas primitive substrates with integrated valves.

[0115] Embodiment 8: The gas primitive substrate according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein a plurality of the at least one gas primitive substrate is configurable into a gas delivery box for use in assembling a tool operating in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

[0116] Embodiment 9: The gas cell substrate according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein each of the plurality of gas delivery components is configured to be mounted only from an uppermost surface of the gas cell substrate.

[0117] Embodiment 10: The gas-based substrate according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the gas delivery box is a standard gas delivery box used in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

[0118] Embodiment 11: The gas primitive substrate according to any of the preceding embodiments, 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.

[0119] Embodiment 12: The gas-based substrate according to any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising at least one port selected from the group consisting of a purge port and a gas diversion port.

[0120] Embodiment 13: A gas-based substrate according to embodiment 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, and the at least one pair of second bores includes gas flow paths formed on the upstream side and downstream side of the location of the at least one port, respectively.

[0121] Embodiment 14: The gas-based substrate of embodiment 12 or embodiment 13, 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 formed only from the 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.

[0122] Embodiment 15: 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 includes at least one location where a gas delivery component is to be mounted, wherein the at least one location includes at least one gas delivery component inlet port and a gas delivery component outlet port formed in the body of the gas cell substrate, the gas cell substrate being configured so that the gas delivery component is to be mounted only from the uppermost surface of the gas cell substrate. At least one pair of first bores includes gas flow paths formed upstream and downstream of the location of the gas delivery component, respectively. In at least some of the plurality of gas cell substrates, the at least one pair of bores is 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. At least one port is selected from the group consisting of a purge port and a gas diversion port located in at least some of the plurality of gas cell substrates.

[0123] Embodiment 16: A gas-based substrate according to embodiment 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, and the at least one pair of second bores includes gas flow paths formed on the upstream side and downstream side of the location of the at least one port, respectively.

[0124] Embodiment 17: The gas elementary substrate of embodiment 15 or embodiment 16, 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 formed 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 comprising other gas elementary substrates.

[0125] Example 18: A gas cell substrate comprising: a facility inlet including a gas connector assembly, a gas diversion port, a purge port, and an outlet port. Each of the gas diversion port, the purge port, and the outlet port is configured to couple to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism. The gas cell substrate is configured to receive gas delivery components, 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 cell substrate further comprises at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed upstream and downstream of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively. 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.

[0126] Example 19: A gas cell substrate comprising: a facility inlet including a gas connector assembly, a gas diversion port, a purge port, and an outlet port. Each of the gas diversion port, the purge port, and the outlet port is configured to couple to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism. The gas cell substrate is configured to receive gas delivery components, including a two-port lockout / tagout (LOTO) valve, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve. The gas cell substrate further comprises at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed upstream and downstream of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively. 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.

[0127] Example 20: A gas cell substrate comprising an inlet port and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port and the outlet port is configured to couple with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnect mechanism. The gas cell substrate is to receive gas delivery components, the gas delivery components comprising a first two-port valve and a second two-port valve. The gas cell substrate further comprises at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed upstream and downstream of the location of each of the gas delivery components, respectively. 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.

[0128] Embodiment 21: A gas cell substrate comprising an inlet port and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port and the outlet port is configured to couple to 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. The gas cell substrate further has at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed between the inlet port and the outlet port. 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 44.5 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0129] Embodiment 22: A gas cell substrate comprising 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 couple to other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas cell substrate further comprises: a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve and a three-port valve. The gas cell substrate further comprises at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed upstream and downstream of the location of each of the two-port valve and the three-port valve, respectively. The gas cell substrate has a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0130] Embodiment 23: A gas cell 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 couple with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnection mechanism; the gas cell substrate further comprises: 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. The gas cell substrate further comprises at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed upstream and downstream of each of the first and second two-port valves, respectively. The gas cell substrate has a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

[0131] Example 24: A gas cell substrate comprising: an inlet port and an outlet port. Each of the inlet port and the outlet port is configured to couple with other gas cell substrates or other locations via a top manifold interconnection mechanism. The gas cell substrate further comprises: a gas delivery component comprising a two-port valve. The gas cell substrate further comprises at least one pair of first bores comprising a gas flow path, the at least one pair of first bores being formed on the upstream and downstream sides of each location of the two-port valve, respectively. The gas cell substrate has a width of approximately 28.6 mm, a total height of approximately 33.8 mm, a total length of approximately 118.0 mm, and is configured to have a pitch distance of approximately 30.5 mm when arranged with adjacent gas cell substrates.

Claims

1. A gas element substrate, comprising: at least one location on the gas cell substrate for mounting a gas delivery component, the at least one location including at least one gas delivery component inlet port and one gas delivery component outlet port formed in a body of the gas cell substrate, the gas cell substrate having a gas diversion port, a purge port, and an outlet port, each gas diversion port, purge port, and outlet port configured to be connected to other locations via a top manifold interconnection mechanism; and At least one pair of first bores includes gas flow paths formed respectively on the upstream and downstream sides of the location of the gas delivery component.

2. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: The inlet port of the gas cell substrate is configured to connect the gas cell substrate to a gas supply line; and The outlet port is configured to connect the gas cell substrate to at least one subsequent component selected from the group consisting of an apparatus gas inlet supply line and a subsequent gas cell substrate.

3. The gas element substrate according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the at least one pair of first bores is formed at an angle and in the gas cell substrate.

4. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of gas cell substrates are configured to be at least partially connected in series with each other within the gas delivery box.

5. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one pair of first bores are at least partially located in a cross-section that is different from the cross-section of the other bores, both cross-sections being located within the body of the gas cell substrate.

6. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: The gas elementary substrates include seven gas elementary substrates in total, and the gas elementary substrates can be assembled into a gas delivery box.

7. The gas cell substrate according to claim 6, wherein: At least some of the seven gas cell substrates include gas cell substrates with integrated valves.

8. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of the gas cell substrates are configured to assemble a gas delivery box for tool operation in a semiconductor manufacturing environment.

9. The gas cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: The gas cell substrate is configured such that the gas delivery component is mounted only from an uppermost surface of the gas cell substrate.

10. The gas cell 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 cell substrate according to claim 1, wherein: At least some of the ports are connected to at least one remaining port and one or more gas delivery components by at least one pair of second bores containing gas flow paths formed upstream and downstream of the port locations, respectively.

12. A gas element substrate comprising: at least one location on the gas cell substrate for mounting a gas delivery component, the at least one location including at least one gas delivery component inlet port and gas delivery component outlet port formed within a body of the gas cell substrate, the gas cell substrate being configured such that the gas delivery component is mountable only from an uppermost surface of the gas cell substrate; at least one pair of first bores comprising gas flow paths formed upstream and downstream of a location of a gas delivery component, the at least one pair of first bores being at least partially located in a cross-section that is different from the cross-section of other holes in the gas cell substrate, and both cross-sections being located within the body of the gas cell substrate; as well as At least one port is selected from a purge port and a gas diversion port in the gas cell substrate.

13. The gas cell substrate according to claim 12, wherein: Each of the at least one port is connected to at least one remaining port and one or more gas delivery components via at least one pair of second bores, wherein the at least one pair of second bores includes gas flow paths formed on upstream and downstream sides of the location of the at least one port, respectively.

14. The gas cell substrate according to claim 12, wherein: Each of the at least one port is a gas coupling point forming part of a top manifold system, whereby connections are configured to be made to other gas delivery components including other gas cell substrates only from an uppermost portion of the gas cell substrate where the at least one port is located.

15. The gas cell substrate according to claim 12, wherein: The inlet port of the gas cell substrate is configured to connect the gas cell substrate to a gas supply line; and The outlet port is configured to connect the gas cell substrate to at least one subsequent component selected from the group consisting of an apparatus gas inlet supply line and a subsequent gas cell substrate.

16. The gas cell substrate according to claim 12, wherein: Each of the at least one pair of first bores is formed at an angle and in the gas cell substrate.

17. A gas element substrate comprising: a facility inlet with a gas fitting assembly, the gas primitive substrate being configured to receive a gas delivery assembly including a two-port lockout / tagout valve (LOTO), a regulator, a converter, a filter, an additional two-port valve, and a three-port valve; and The gas cell substrate also has at least one pair of first bores, each of which includes a gas flow path formed on the upstream and downstream sides of the location of each gas delivery component, and the at least one pair of first bores is at least partially located in a cross-section different from the cross-section of other bores in the gas cell substrate, both of which are located within the main body of the gas cell substrate.

18. The gas cell substrate according to claim 17, wherein: The gas cell substrate includes a gas diversion port, a purge port, and an outlet, each of which is configured to be connected to other locations through a top manifold interconnection mechanism.

19. The gas cell substrate according to claim 18, wherein: The facility inlet is configured to connect the gas cell substrate to a gas supply line; and The outlet is configured to connect the gas cell substrate to at least one subsequent component selected from the group consisting of an apparatus gas inlet supply line and a subsequent gas cell substrate.

20. The gas cell substrate according to claim 17, wherein Each of the at least one pair of first bores is formed at an angle and in the gas cell substrate.

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