Steam accumulator for corrosive gas with purge

Abstract

A vapor accumulator reservoir for semiconductor processing operations, such as atomic layer deposition operations, is provided. Such a vapor accumulator reservoir may include a surrounding plenum volume filled with an inert gas, which can reduce or prevent leakage of external contaminants into the process gas. In some implementations, the reservoir may be constructed from a corrosion-resistant material to reduce internal contaminants into the process gas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Incorporation by Reference] As part of this application, a PCT application form is filed simultaneously with this specification. Each application specified in this simultaneously filed PCT application form and for which this application claims benefit or priority is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes into this specification.

Background Art

[0002] During semiconductor processing operations, one or more reactants can be distributed across a semiconductor wafer to perform etching, deposition, cleaning, or other operations. In some such semiconductor operations, one or more reactants can be provided in a vaporized form suspended in a carrier gas, such as a gas that can be chemically inert or non-reactive with respect to other reactants being used, before flowing across the semiconductor wafer.

[0003] Process gas can include a carrier gas and a vaporized reactant. The process gas distributed across the semiconductor wafer can be generated from an accumulator that stores a large volume of process gas relative to the volume of the wafer processing region within a specific temperature and pressure range. The accumulator may store volatile, toxic, and / or highly reactive process gas during semiconductor processing, before, during, and after distributing a portion of the process gas across one or more semiconductor wafers.

[0004] The present disclosure is directed to new technologies and apparatuses for improving the design and construction of accumulators within semiconductor processing chambers.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. The following non-limiting implementations are considered part of the present disclosure, and other implementations will become apparent from the entire present disclosure and the accompanying drawings.

[0006] In one aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, an apparatus for use in a semiconductor processing tool can be provided. The apparatus can include a bottom opening, one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening, and a bell jar having a sealing surface. The apparatus can also include a main O-ring and a plate. The plate can have a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The bell jar can be positioned such that the sealing surface is adjacent to the first side. A main O-ring groove can be located on the first side of the plate and / or on the sealing surface of the bell jar. The main O-ring can be at least partially positioned within the main O-ring groove and can be sandwiched between the sealing surface of the bell jar and the first side of the plate. The plate can include one or more fluid sealing interfaces. Each fluid sealing interface can include i) a port located inside the inner circumference of the main O-ring and extending from the first side to the second side through the plate, and ii) at least one purge gas outlet located on the second side of the plate and fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate. The apparatus can further include a bottom surface proximate to the first side of the plate and one or more clamp structures having an inner flange extending radially inward from the bottom surface and proximate to the one or more flange structures, and a peripheral plenum volume at least partially defined by each of at least a portion of the main O-ring, a portion of the main O-ring groove, a portion of the first side of the plate, a portion of the sealing surface, and at least a portion of each of the one or more flange structures between the inner flange of the one or more clamp structures and the sealing surface. The apparatus can also include one or more purge gallery grooves a) located in the plate and / or one or more clamp structures and b) disposed around the main O-ring groove. The one or more purge gallery grooves can be fluidly connected to the peripheral plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the apparatus, and a purge gas supply inlet can be fluidly connected to the one or more purge gallery grooves.

[0007] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a bell jar cover having a bottom opening and a bottom surface. The bottom surface of the bell jar cover may be close to the first side of the first plate, and the bell jar may be at least partially accommodated within a volume defined by the first side of the plate and the inner surface of the bell jar cover. The surrounding plenum volume may be further defined at least partially by the inner surface of the bell jar cover and the outer surface of the bell jar.

[0008] In some embodiments, one or more clamp structures may be part of the bell jar cover, the bottom surface of the one or more clamp structures being the bottom surface of the bell jar cover, and the inner flange of the one or more clamp structures being the inner flange of the bell jar cover.

[0009] In some embodiments, the bell jar cover may have an inner edge of the bottom surface proximate to the first side of the plate, one or more purge gallery grooves may be located outside the inner edge, and the bell jar cover may have a plurality of purge gas ports connecting the one or more purge gallery grooves to the surrounding plenum volume. In some embodiments, the plurality of purge gas ports may have a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of the purge gallery groove in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery groove.

[0010] In some embodiments, one or more clamp structures may be provided by an inner flange extending around the perimeter of the bottom opening of the bell jar cover. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include one or more heating elements proximate to the second side of the plate. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include one or more temperature sensor devices, each temperature sensor device being in contact with one of the bell jar, the plate, or one or more fluid seal interfaces.

[0011] In some embodiments, one or more flange structures may be a single flange structure. In some embodiments, one or more clamp structures may be a single clamp structure. In some embodiments, one or more flange structures may be a single flange structure, and the device may further include a secondary O-ring and a secondary O-ring groove located in the single flange structure and / or the single clamp structure. The secondary O-ring may be at least partially positioned within the secondary O-ring groove and may be inserted radially between the single flange structure and a second surface of the single clamp structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, there may be six fluid seal interfaces. In some embodiments, the main O-ring groove may be located on the plate. In some embodiments, each fluid seal interface may include a flange plate, an interface O-ring, and an interface O-ring groove located on a second side of the flange plate and / or the plate.

[0013] In some embodiments, the device may further include a vapor accumulation volume at least partially defined by an inner surface of the bell jar, the main O-ring, and / or a first side of the plate.

[0014] In some embodiments, the device may further include a pump fluidly connected to the bell jar volume and a controller including one or more processors and one or more memory devices. The one or more processors, the one or more memory devices, and the pump may be operably connected to each other. The one or more memory devices may store computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to reduce the absolute pressure within the bell jar volume to a level between less than 10 torr and 200 torr in the pump.

[0015] In some embodiments, the purge gas supply inlet may be connected to a gas supply section containing an inert gas. In some embodiments, the inert gas may include one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, and neon. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a secondary O-ring positioned at least partially between one or more flange structures and one or more clamp structures.

[0016] In some embodiments, the main O-ring may include a flat annular section extending radially inward from a toroidal section.

[0017] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a plurality of purge gas ports connecting one or more purge galleries to the ambient plenum volume. Each of the plurality of purge gas ports may have a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of the purge gallery in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery.

[0018] In some embodiments, one or more purge galleries may be provided by a single purge gallery. In some embodiments, the single purge gallery may form a complete loop around the main O-ring groove. In some embodiments, one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces may be connected to a gas supply source. In some embodiments, one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are outlet interfaces for distributing gas.

[0019] In some embodiments, the belljar and / or plate may be non-reactive to chlorine-containing compounds. In some embodiments, the belljar and / or plate may be non-reactive to fluorine-containing compounds. In some embodiments, the belljar and the plate each have the following materials: quartz (SiO 2 )), sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with alumina (Al 2 O 3) Coated quartz, yttria (Y 2 O 3 ) Coated quartz, yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO 2 ) Coated quartz, alumina / yttria laminate-coated quartz, borosilicate glass with a quartz coating, borosilicate glass with a sapphire coating, aluminum alloy, aluminum 6061 with an alumina coating, aluminum 7075 with an alumina coating, or aluminum 3003 with an alumina coating, hard anodized (Al 2 O 3 ) Coated aluminum alloy, aluminum 6061 with a hard anodized coating, aluminum 7075 with a hard anodized coating, or aluminum 3003 with a hard anodized coating, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP) on an aluminum alloy, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating on aluminum 6061, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating on aluminum 7075, or electroless high-phosphate nickel plating on aluminum 3003, polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or a parylene-coated aluminum alloy, polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 6061, polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 7075, or polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 3003, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating on a stainless steel alloy, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating on stainless 316, or electroless high-phosphate nickel plating on stainless 304, polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless steel alloy, polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless 316, or polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless 304, corrosion-resistant Ni alloy, Hastelloy C-22, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy B-2, or Inconel 718 may include one or more of.

[0020] These and other features of the disclosed embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] The various embodiments disclosed herein are shown by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, and like reference numerals refer to like elements.

[0022]

Figure 1

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Figure 2

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Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 3C

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Figure 5

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Figure 6

[0028] Figures 1 to 5 are to a certain scale within each figure, except for Figures 3B and 3C which are enlarged views of a part of Figure 3A. The figures may not be to a consistent scale with each other.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presented embodiments. The embodiments disclosed herein can be practiced without some or all of these specific details. Further, the disclosed embodiments are described in conjunction with specific embodiments, but it is understood that the specific embodiments are not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments.

[0030] Methods, techniques, systems, and apparatuses for delivering vaporized precursors or other reactants to one or more semiconductor processing chambers are disclosed herein. The concepts disclosed herein may be particularly applicable to cyclic, multi-phase semiconductor processing operations such as ALD or ALE processes, and may also be suitable for use in single-station or multi-station semiconductor processing tools, i.e., tools that can simultaneously process multiple semiconductor wafers within the same chamber or within separate chambers that share one or more tool subsystems, such as a controller, a gas distribution system, a vacuum pump system, etc. The concepts disclosed herein may also be implemented, optionally, in scenarios that do not include cyclic, multi-phase semiconductor processing operations and / or in single-station semiconductor processing tools.

[0031] The inventors recognized that existing semiconductor processing systems, such as those used to perform ALD operations, can provide undesirable performance in several respects. For example, many ALD systems utilize a mass flow controller (MFC) to control the flow rate of precursors to the semiconductor wafer on which the ALD process is being performed. However, the ALD precursor dosing cycle is actually very short, e.g., less than about 1 second, or typically 2 - 3 seconds or less. In contrast, the MFC has a very slow response time, e.g., longer than the precursor dosing time. Thus, an ALD system that uses an MFC to regulate precursor dosing typically includes a bypass valve or a shunt valve downstream of the MFC, and thus the precursor flow can be fed to the process chamber where it flows across the entire semiconductor wafer or diverted to the exhaust system. Regardless of where the precursor is ultimately fed, the flow rate of the precursor through the MFC can be maintained at a relatively steady state. In such a system, the amount of precursor fed to the process chamber is sometimes controlled by actuating a bypass valve (which has a much faster response time than the MFC) based on the mass flow rate provided by the MFC. However, this solution is very wasteful because the precursor needs to flow continuously through the MFC, and thus the precursor that is not fed to the semiconductor wafer needs to be diverted to the exhaust system where it is discarded. The MFC is also an expensive component, and in a multi-station semiconductor processing tool, each station requires its own MFC and bypass valve for its purpose.

[0032] A multi-station ALD tool may use pulsed deposition of low vapor pressure precursors onto a semiconductor wafer being processed by the tool. Such a tool can utilize precursors such as tungsten pentachloride or tungsten hexachloride, which can be suspended in an inert or non-reactive carrier gas in vaporized form. Instead of using a conventional MFC / shunt valve approach, it is more efficient to supply the vaporized precursor to a relatively large vapor accumulator reservoir and meter a small amount of the vaporized precursor into one or more process chambers as needed. Such a vapor accumulator reservoir can be supplied with vaporized precursor from one or more vaporizers via a vapor inlet and connected to one or more process chambers by corresponding vapor feed lines. It should be understood that the vapor accumulator reservoir discussed herein should not be confused with the working volume of the vaporizer itself, i.e., the location where vaporization of the solid or liquid phase actually occurs (the transfer from the solid phase to the gas phase is technically called sublimation, but for the purposes of this application, terms such as "vaporization" should be understood to refer to the transfer of a solid or liquid phase material to the gas phase). A vapor accumulator reservoir, as the term is used herein, refers to a reservoir that receives vapor that is already entrained in a carrier gas and that itself does not contain a solid or liquid phase material that is being evaporated. For example, a liquid or solid precursor can be contained in a volumetric ampoule, and the precursor can be evaporated within that ampoule volume to thereby produce vapor. This vapor can then be fed downstream to the vapor accumulator reservoir by a tube, pipe, or other conduit with a relatively small cross-sectional flow area (compared to the cross-sectional flow area of the ampoule itself). The ampoule itself is not considered a vapor accumulator reservoir because it contains the solid or liquid phase reactant that is being evaporated. Examples of some vaporizers that can be used in the embodiments discussed herein can be found in U.S. Patent No. 10,087,523, issued October 2, 2018, the above application of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0033] The flow of the vaporized precursor from the vapor accumulator reservoir to each individual processing chamber can be regulated by the corresponding valve, and the corresponding valve can be actuated to feed the vaporized precursor to its processing chamber in a very short pulse, for example, a pulse width of several seconds, 500 milliseconds or less, 50 milliseconds or less, etc. The volume of the vapor accumulator reservoir can be sized to contain sufficient precursor such that providing a single precursor dose from the vapor accumulator reservoir to any of the processing chambers to which the vapor accumulator reservoir can be connected does not adversely affect the ability of the vapor accumulator reservoir to simultaneously feed an accurate dose to other processing chambers to which the vapor accumulator reservoir is connected (however, such dosing may be fed asynchronously during processing).

[0034] To maintain the precursor in a vapor state, enable accurate dosing, and provide pressure compatibility with the pressure in the processing chamber, the vapor accumulator reservoir can be maintained at a relatively low pressure, for example, medium vacuum, about 10 torr to about 200 torr, about 10 torr to about 20 torr, or about 50 torr to about 200 torr. Generally, the pressure in the vapor accumulator reservoir is at least about twice the pressure in the processing chamber during the processing operation. Thus, the amount of gas (both vaporized precursor gas and carrier gas) present in the vapor accumulator reservoir can be quite volumetrically diluted. A pump can be fluidly connected to the vapor accumulator reservoir and controlled to reduce the pressure in the vapor accumulator reservoir.

[0035] In some embodiments, the process gas stored in the vapor accumulator reservoir can be a chlorinated precursor or an oxychloride, which include tungsten hexachloride, tungsten pentachloride, tungsten oxytetrachloride, tungsten dichloride dioxide, molybdenum pentachloride, molybdenum oxytetrachloride, molybdenum dichloride dioxide, and titanium tetrachloride. In some embodiments, the process gas is a fluorinated precursor or an oxyfluoride, which include tungsten hexafluoride, tungsten pentafluoride, tungsten oxyterafluoride, tungsten difluoride dioxide, molybdenum pentafluoride, molybdenum oxyterafluoride, molybdenum difluoride dioxide, and titanium tetrafluoride. In some embodiments, the process gas can follow any general formula of MeCl x 、MeO y Cl x 、MeF x 、and / or MeO y F x , where Me represents titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), ruthenium (Ru), niobium (Nb), and / or rhodium (Rh), and both x and y are 1 or more. In some embodiments, brominated and iodinated precursors can be used according to any general formula of MeHal x (iso MeO y Hal x ) and / or MeO y Hal x , where Hal represents chlorine, fluorine, bromine, and / or iodine.

[0036] A steam accumulator reservoir as discussed herein can be designed to have generally two main parts that define the volume within the steam accumulator reservoir, namely a bell jar and a plate that seals the bottom of the bell jar. The bell jar can define, for example, one or more three-dimensional inner surfaces of the volume within the steam accumulator reservoir, and the plate can generally define a nominal upper plane of the volume within the steam accumulator reservoir, e.g., a generally two-dimensional surface. It is understood that the plate and bell jar structure discussed herein, or the functionality provided thereby, can be provided in several ways, including assemblies where the plate and / or bell jar can be assemblies of other components. For example, the bell jar can be provided as an assembly of a cylindrical portion and a dome-shaped cap portion, which when assembled provide an internal volume similar to the integral bell jar discussed herein.

[0037] Process gases entering and leaving the steam accumulator reservoir can potentially corrode the reservoir and introduce undesirable contaminants and particles. For the construction of the steam accumulator reservoir, corrosion-resistant materials can be selected to reduce the amount of contamination and the frequency of component replacement. Some corrosion-resistant materials, such as ceramics or quartz, are less expensive than metal alloys such as Hastelloy, but are also difficult to machine. Thus, in some embodiments, some parts of the steam accumulator reservoir, such as the plate, can include a machined metal alloy, and the bell jar that seals against the plate can include a ceramic with less required machining.

[0038] The seal between the bell jar and the plate can be made completely leak - free. Since the vapor accumulator reservoir is typically maintained at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, a leak can introduce air into the process gas, allowing contaminants such as water vapor or other particles to enter the process gas stream, thereby contaminating the wafers being processed. One solution is to enclose the process gas volume within a surrounding plenum volume of an inert gas (also called a purge gas), which, when maintained at a pressure higher than the process gas volume, causes a leak between the surrounding plenum volume and the process gas volume to result in a mixture of the inert gas and the process gas, without causing harmful contamination. Further, in some embodiments, the surrounding plenum volume has a pressure higher than one atmosphere, and as a result, a leak between the surrounding plenum volume and the atmosphere causes the inert gas to flow into the air surrounding the vapor accumulator reservoir without back - flowing. This can provide an additional protective layer against contaminants that would mix with the process gas. In some embodiments, the inert gas is one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, or neon. In some embodiments, the gas supply of the inert gas can be connected to the surrounding plenum volume using a valve configured to regulate the flow of the inert gas and the pressure within the surrounding plenum volume.

[0039] Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a vapor accumulator reservoir 100 according to some embodiments. As discussed above, the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 includes a bell jar 102 and a plate 110, between which the internal volume of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 can generally be defined. The bell jar 102 and the plate 110 are assembled with a main O-ring 108 sandwiched therebetween and can generally provide an airtight seal at the interface between the two components. In some embodiments, a bell jar cover 138 may be provided that is attached to the plate 110 and functions to provide a protective shield covering the bell jar 102. The bell jar cover 138 can be made of, for example, aluminum, stainless steel, or other relatively durable materials, thereby providing impact protection to the bell jar 102, which in some embodiments can be made of relatively fragile materials such as quartz or ceramic. The bell jar cover 138 can also be integrated with a clamp structure that can be used in some embodiments to hold the bell jar 102 in a predetermined position relative to the plate 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the bell jar 102 has an external flange 104 (which can be seen in more detail in later figures), and the bell jar cover 138 has an internal flange that overlaps the external flange of the bell jar 102 when viewed along an axis perpendicular to the plate 110. The bell jar cover 138 can be bolted to the plate 110 using, for example, a plurality of fasteners, such as screws, or other attachment systems, such that the external flange of the bell jar 102 can be confined between the internal flange of the bell jar cover 138 and the plate 110. In the case of the bell jar 102 made of a relatively fragile material such as quartz or ceramic, such an arrangement can be configured to avoid potentially applying excessive stress to the external flange of the bell jar 102 and potentially causing cracks and failures in the bell jar 102, such that the external flange of the bell jar 102 is not compressed or is only slightly compressed.Such a clamp arrangement can generally function to hold the bellows 102 in a predetermined position, such that when the pressure within the bellows 102 is reduced, for example by using a pump, the external pressure applied to the bellows 102 by the atmosphere / ambient air compresses the bellows 102 against the main O-ring 108, thereby ensuring that the volume within the bellows 102 is generally sealed.

[0040] The plate 110 can function as a main interface for the inlet and outlet to the internal volume of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100, having a first side 112 that is exposed to the interior of the reservoir volume, and a second side opposite the first side that connects to the vapor feed line 121. The plate can also have connection features 115, such as threaded studs or through holes for threaded fasteners, that can be used to connect the plate 110 to the bellows cover 138, although other fastening systems, such as bayonet-type mounts, threaded collars, etc., can similarly be used to join the bellows cover 138 to the plate 110. The main O-ring 108 can fit into the main O-ring groove of the plate 110, although in some embodiments, the main O-ring groove can alternatively or additionally be located on the face of the bellows 102 that mates with the main O-ring 108.

[0041] The vapor supply line 121 can be provided to feed process gas from the internal volume of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 to each station (not shown) via, for example, a showerhead of a semiconductor processing tool or other gas distribution stations located at each station. The vapor supply line 121 can be fluidly connected to the vapor accumulator reservoir 100, for example, using the fluid seal interface 118 of the plate 110. Each fluid seal interface 118 can generally include a through-hole in the plate 110 that extends from the first side 112 of the plate 110 to the second side of the plate 110, through which gas can enter and exit the vapor accumulator reservoir volume, as well as features such as threaded studs protruding from the second side of the plate 110, or blind threaded holes in the second side of the plate 110 for receiving screws or bolts for attaching the vapor supply line 121 to the plate 110. The fluid seal interface 118 can be designed to interact with a seal component such as an O-ring. In some embodiments, additional features for accommodating the seal component can be included in the fluid seal interface, for example, an annular groove for receiving an O-ring can be provided on the second side of the plate 110 around the through-hole of the fluid seal interface 118, although such features can alternatively or additionally be included in one or more flange plates of the vapor supply line 121 or similar components. In some embodiments, the fluid seal interface can be located on the top or side of the vapor accumulator reservoir in addition to or instead of the bottom. In such embodiments, the through-hole can be located on the top or side of the vapor accumulator reservoir.

[0042] In some embodiments, for example, there may be a vapor concentration sensor 154 that monitors the vapor accumulation volume 103 to sample the gas within the vapor accumulation volume 103. The vapor concentration sensor 154 can be used to determine the pressure, relative concentration, or temperature of the process gas within the vapor accumulation volume 103. This information can then be used by the controller to adjust the parameters of the operation of the vapor accumulator reservoir. The vapor concentration sensor can be fluidly connected to the vapor accumulation volume 103 using a fluid seal interface in the same manner as the vapor feed line 121.

[0043] In some embodiments, there may also be a bypass line (not shown) that can be used to flow gas through the vapor accumulator volume 103 without distributing the gas to each station. The bypass line can be fluidly connected to the vapor accumulation volume 103 using a fluid seal interface in the same manner as the vapor feed line 121. It is also possible to connect a pump to the vapor accumulation volume using the bypass line.

[0044] In some embodiments, one or more heating elements 139, such as resistive heating pads or blankets, can be positioned on or around the bell jar cover 138. The heating elements can be used to maintain a constant temperature of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100, which can vary between 130°C and 200°C during operation in some embodiments. In some embodiments, there may be no bell jar cover, for example, when the bell jar 102 is made of stainless steel or other materials that are resistant to brittle fracture, and in such embodiments, the heating elements can be placed directly on the bell jar itself, if desired. In some embodiments, the heating element or additional heating elements may be placed in proximity to the second side of the plate 110.

[0045] In some embodiments, the steam accumulator reservoir can include one or more thermocouples 148 that can contact the plate and / or the bell jar. For example, thermocouple 148a can contact the bell jar through sensor port 149 in the bell jar cover, and the thermocouple 148 can have a spring-loaded thermosensitive tip that enables attaching the thermocouple body to the plate 110 and / or the bell jar cover 138 while at the same time pressing the tip of the thermocouple 148 against the surface to be monitored to provide good thermal contact. In some embodiments, additional thermocouples can be connected to one or more of the steam supply lines 121 (not shown), for example, the additional thermocouples can contact the outer surface of each steam supply line 121 and can be configured to monitor the temperature of each such steam supply line. In some embodiments, instead of thermocouples, different temperature sensor devices can be used to measure the temperatures of various components.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a view of the steam accumulator reservoir 100 of FIG. 1 in an assembled non-dismantled state. As can be seen, the bell jar cover 138 and the plate 110 enclose the bell jar and the main O-ring (not shown). The steam supply line 121 can be seen coming from the bottom of the plate 110 as well as from the steam concentration sensor 154.

[0047] The steam accumulator reservoir 100 can be of a substantially circular shape as shown. It should be understood that other shapes and configurations of the steam accumulator reservoir 100 can also be used equally well.

[0048] FIGS. 3A-3C show cross-sectional views of the steam accumulator reservoir 100, as well as detailed views focused on cross-sectional portions, according to some embodiments. FIG. 3B represents a detailed view of the left cross-sectional portion of the steam accumulator reservoir 100 as shown in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a second view of another cross-sectional portion on the right side of the steam accumulator reservoir 100 shown in FIG. 3A.

[0049] In FIG. 3B, a cross-sectional view of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 is shown with a plate 110 having a first side 112 and a second side 114, each represented by a dashed line. The first side 112 of the plate 110 may have a main O-ring groove 116 and a main O-ring 108 positioned at least partially within the main O-ring groove 116. In some embodiments, the main O-ring 108 may be entirely within the main O-ring groove 116. The main O-ring 108 is positioned between the plate 110 and the sealing surface 106 of the bell jar 102 and forms a vapor accumulation volume 103 defined at least by the plate 110, the main O-ring 108, and the bell jar 102. In some embodiments, the main O-ring may extend radially inward from a toroidal section and may have a flat section positioned between the plate 110 and the sealing surface 106. This can help reduce the pressure on the toroidal section of the main O-ring 108 and improve the quality and lifespan of the seal. In some embodiments, the main O-ring groove 116 may be located in the plate 110, while in other embodiments, the main O-ring groove may be located in the bell jar 102. In some embodiments, the main O-ring groove may be partially located in both the plate 110 and the bell jar 102.

[0050] The bell jar 102 may also have an external flange 104 extending around the perimeter of the bell jar 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the bell jar 102 has an annular external flange 104 forming a single flange structure extending around the circumference of the entire bell jar 102, while in other embodiments, the external flange 104 may include a plurality of flange structures spaced around the outer perimeter of the bell jar 102. The external flange 104 is close to the internal flange 128 of the bell jar cover 138. In some embodiments, the internal and external flanges are designed to have a small gap, such as about 0.010 inches, between them when the bell jar cover 138 is in contact with the plate 110, which can prevent over-clamping of the internal flange 128 against the external flange 104.

[0051] The bell cover 138 may also have a bottom surface 130 that contacts the plate 110. The bell cover 138 and the plate 110 can be connected using any of a variety of known methods. In the illustrated example, the plate 110 has an array of circular holes therethrough, and the bottom surface 130 of the bell cover 138 has a matching pattern of blind screw holes, allowing screws to be threaded into the bell cover 138 to clamp the bell cover 138 to the plate 110. In other embodiments, the bell cover 138 and the plate 110 can be connected using other mechanisms.

[0052] In some embodiments, a secondary O-ring 150 can be positioned along the inner surface of the bell cover 138, between the inner flange 128 and the bottom surface 130. In some embodiments, the secondary O-ring 150 can be positioned between the outer flange 104 of the bell and the inner surface of the bell cover 138, as shown in FIG. 3B. In such embodiments, the bell cover 138 may have a secondary O-ring groove 152 in its inner surface, which can accommodate the secondary O-ring 150 such that the secondary O-ring 150 is partially positioned within the inner surface of the bell cover 138. In some such embodiments, the secondary O-ring 150 can be sized such that the secondary O-ring 150 does not form an airtight or liquidtight seal between the bell cover 138 and the bell 102. In such embodiments, the secondary O-ring 150 can instead act as an elastomeric bumper that centers the bell 102 with respect to the bell cover 138 and the plate 110 and acts to cushion any potential impact between the bell 102 and the bell cover 138. In some embodiments, the secondary O-ring groove 152 may be located on the outermost surface of the bell 102 rather than the bell cover 138.

[0053] As discussed above, in some embodiments, there may be no bell jar cover 138 at all. For example, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a bell jar cover 138 that includes a clamping structure in the form of an internal flange 126 therein, while other embodiments may omit the bell jar cover 138 and instead utilize a clamping ring that extends around the bell jar 102 (similar to the portion of the bell jar cover 138 that includes the shown clamping structure but lacks the cylindrical wall and dome-shaped top of the bell jar cover 138). In such embodiments, to avoid directly clamping the outer flange 104 to the inner flange 128 and to provide at least a partial airtight seal, an O-ring can be placed between the bottom surface of the inner flange 128 and the top surface of the outer flange 104. In yet other embodiments, one or more clamping structures used to hold the bell jar 102 in place can be separated from the bell jar cover 138. For example, the bell jar 102 can be clamped to a predetermined position on the plate 110 using a plurality of cleats around the perimeter of the outer flange 104, and then the bell jar cover 138 can be fastened to the plate 110 to cover the bell jar 102 and the cleat clamping structure.

[0054] Regardless of whether a bell jar cover is present, embodiments of the vapor accumulation reservoir discussed herein can include a peripheral plenum volume 132 that is at least partially defined by the main O-ring 108, the main O-ring groove 116, and the first side 112. The peripheral plenum volume 132 can be a sealed volume that can generally be pressurized with a gas, such as an inert gas, to displace ambient air that may potentially contact the main O-ring 108 and thus be drawn through the main O-ring 108 into the vapor accumulation volume 103. In some embodiments, the peripheral plenum volume can be further defined by the inner surface of the bell jar cover 138, such as the inner surface of the bell jar cover 138 between the bottom surface 130 and the inner flange 128. In some embodiments, the peripheral plenum volume may be further defined by the inner flange 128 of one or more clamping structures.

[0055] The vapor accumulation reservoir discussed in this specification can also include a purge gallery groove 134 that can be located in the plate 110. In some embodiments, there can be a single purge gallery groove extending around the perimeter of the plate. In some embodiments, there can be one or more purge gallery grooves that are discontinuous and extend partially around the perimeter of the plate. In some embodiments, the purge gallery groove 134 can be located only on the first side 112 of the plate 110, and in other embodiments, the purge gallery groove can be located on one or both of the bottom surface 130 of the bell cover 138 (or the clamp structure if there is no bell cover) and the first side 112 of the plate 110.

[0056] In some embodiments, one or more purge gas supply inlets 136 can be included on the second side 114 of the plate 110, and each such purge gas supply inlet can be connected to the purge gallery groove 134. The purge gas supply inlet can be connectable to a purge gas supply and can be configured to allow purge gas to flow into the purge gallery groove 134. In some embodiments, there can be a plurality of purge gas supply inlets connected to one or more purge gallery grooves. The purge gallery groove can be capable of distributing purge gas (or another gas that is functionally inert or non-reactive with respect to the process gas contained within the vapor accumulator reservoir 100) to a location surrounding the main O-ring 108.

[0057] Figure 3C is a second view of a different cross-sectional portion of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 shown in Figure 3A. Figure 3C shows the purge gallery groove 134, which is the same as the purge gallery groove 134 shown in Figure 3B in the illustrated embodiment. The purge gallery groove 134 is an annular groove, but in some embodiments, for example, when two C-shaped purge gallery grooves are used, it is a different purge gallery groove, and each can be provided with purge gas by a corresponding purge gas supply inlet 136. In some embodiments, the ambient plenum volume 132 and the purge gallery groove 134 (which may also be simply referred to herein as the "purge gallery") can generally be a single contiguous volume. For example, the ambient plenum volume 132 and the purge gallery groove 134 can be fluidly connected to each other around most or all of the circumference of the bell jar 102.

[0058] However, in other embodiments, the ambient plenum volume 132 and the purge gallery groove 134 can be intentionally fluidly connected only at discrete locations along the circumference of the bell jar 102, as shown in Figure 3C. For example, a plurality of purge gas ports 142 can be provided at spaced locations around the circumference of the bell jar 102, and each such purge gas port 142 can be sized to have a cross-sectional area that is much smaller, for example, one order of magnitude or more smaller, than the cross-sectional area of the purge gallery groove 134 (such cross-sectional area being taken in a plane perpendicular to the general direction of gas flow through the purge gas port 142 or the purge gallery groove 134). The purge gas port 142 can have a first end opening into the purge gallery groove 134 and a second end opposite the first end opening into the ambient plenum volume 132, thereby generating a back pressure within the purge gallery groove and causing the purge gas to be evenly distributed through all of the purge gas ports. In such embodiments, the purge gallery groove 134 can be positioned outside the inner edge of the bell jar cover 138, such that the bottom surface of the bell jar cover 138 covers the purge gallery groove 134 and the purge gas ports 142 are positioned in the bell jar cover 138.

[0059] The purge gallery groove 134 can be fluidly connected to the purge gas inlet 124 and used to provide a purge gas that is inert or non-reactive with respect to the process gas that can flow through the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 (alternatively, if a small amount of purge gas is drawn into the accumulator volume and / or the vapor feed line 121 through the main O-ring 108 or other seals, it will not have an adverse effect on the semiconductor processing operation). The purge gas flows into the purge gallery groove 134 and can then be distributed, for example, via the purge gas port 142 to the ambient plenum volume 132, where the purge gas can surround the outer surface of the main O-ring 108 and displace the atmosphere or ambient air that may occupy the ambient plenum volume. Thus, if there is a leak through the main O-ring 108 into the vapor accumulation volume 103, the gas drawn into the vapor accumulation volume 103 will be the purge gas instead of ambient air, thereby protecting the semiconductor processing operation from contamination or other adverse effects. The flow of purge gas into the purge gallery groove 134 can be adjusted to maintain the pressure of the purge gas in the purge gallery groove within a predetermined range, for example, about 50 torr to about 250 torr higher than atmospheric pressure. Such adjustment can be actively implemented, for example, by using a pressure sensor and a valve to control the flow of purge gas into the purge gallery groove 134, or passively implemented, for example, by determining the average leak rate of the purge gas from the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 and then adjusting the flow of purge gas to account for that leak rate. For example, the purge gas may leak from the bell jar cover 138 through a port provided for a thermocouple (which can generally be blocked by the thermocouple but may not be an airtight interface) or through the interface between the bell jar cover 138 and the plate 110 (which can be a metal-to-metal contact interface and may not have an actual seal while being firmly engaged, so gas leakage may occur).

[0060] In addition to the above-described features for providing purge gas to the main O-ring 108 on the first side 112 of the plate 110 via the peripheral plenum volume 132, the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 may also include additional features for distributing the purge gas to elements or features located on the second side 114 of the plate 110. For example, each fluid seal interface 118 may provide an additional potential leak path for air to enter the process gas flow from the vapor accumulator reservoir 100, e.g., by flowing into the vapor feed line 121 (where the leaking gas may backflow into the vapor accumulation volume 103 or into the semiconductor processing chamber to which the process gas is supplied via the vapor feed line 121, depending on the state of the flow).

[0061] To mitigate the effects of such potential leaks, a vapor accumulator reservoir as described herein may have additional features on the plate 110 to facilitate local purging of each fluid seal interface 118. For example, purge galleries may be fluidly connected to each fluid seal interface 118 via corresponding purge gas passages 123, each of which may have a purge gas outlet 122 opening into an interface O-ring groove 160 for an interface O-ring 158 that can seal the fluid seal interface 118. The purge gas passages 123 may also have corresponding purge gas inlets 124 opening into the purge gallery groove 134, whereby the purge gallery groove 134 can also be pressurized with purge gas to displace air that may be adjacent to the seal of the interface O-ring 158 and prevent such air from being drawn into the process gas flow through the seal of the interface O-ring 158. The purge gas passages 123 are shown as being located in the plate 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the purge gas passages 123 are provided by holes drilled radially inward from the periphery of the plate 110 and are then plugged, e.g., with set screws (as shown). Next, the corresponding purge gas inlets and purge gas outlets are drilled into the plate 110 from the opposite side so as to intersect the purge gas passages 123.

[0062] In some embodiments, the purge gas passage 123 can be provided by a hole drilled radially inward from the first side 112 at an angle to the first side 112 and intersecting the purge gallery groove 134 and the purge gas outlet 122. In such embodiments, since the purge gas passage is directly connected to the purge gallery groove 134, there is no purge gas inlet 124. In some embodiments, the purge gas passage 123 can also be partially located in the bell cover 138.

[0063] In some embodiments, the vapor feed line 121 (or other gas flow components that can be connected to the plate 110 such as a process gas inlet) can include a flange plate 156 connected to the second side 114 of the plate 110, and the interface O-ring groove 160 can be located in the flange plate 156. In other embodiments, the interface O-ring groove can be located in the second side 114 of the plate 110 or can be partially located in both the flange plate 156 and the second side 114. Regardless of where the interface O-ring groove 160 is located, the purge gas outlet 122 relative to the corresponding fluid seal interface 118 can be positioned such that there is generally a free flow of purge gas from the purge gas outlet 122 to the interface O-ring groove 160, for example, when viewed along a direction perpendicular to the second side 114 of the plate 110, the purge gas outlet 122 overlaps the interface O-ring groove 160.

[0064] Each fluid seal interface 118 also includes a port 120 extending through the plate 110, the port 120 being inside and around the main O-ring 108 so as to be in fluid connection with the vapor accumulation volume 103. Thus, each fluid seal interface 118 may include at least the corresponding port 120, a purge gas outlet 122, and one or more attachment features, such as threaded studs, threaded holes, etc., enabling attachment of fluid flow components, such as a vapor feed line 121 to the fluid seal interface. As described above, the fluid seal interface 118 may also include an interface O-ring groove 160 (assuming, for example, it is machined into the plate 110 instead of a flange plate 156). In some embodiments, the fluid seal interface 118 may also include, for example, a flange plate 156, an interface O-ring groove 160, and an interface O-ring 158. In the illustrated embodiment, there are six fluid seal interfaces 118, four for providing process gas to the semiconductor processing chamber via the vapor feed line 121, one for providing process gas to the vapor accumulator reservoir 100, and another for enabling monitoring of access to the vapor accumulation volume 103, for example, enabling a vapor concentration sensor to sample the gas within the vapor accumulation volume 103. It is understood that any number of fluid seal interfaces 118 may be provided.

[0065] Figure 4 is another cross-sectional view of the vapor accumulator reservoir 100. As can be seen, the plate 110 and the bell jar 102 define a vapor storage volume 103. The inner surface of the bell jar cover 138, the outer surface of the bell jar 102, and the plate 110 can partially define a surrounding plenum volume 132. The surrounding plenum volume extends over and can enclose the bell jar 102. The vapor supply line 121 is connected to the vapor accumulator reservoir 100 through a fluid seal interface 118 and feeds process gas to a semiconductor processing station (not shown). The vapor concentration sensor 154 can sense various characteristics of the process gas within the vapor accumulator reservoir. The thermocouple 148 is connected to the plate 110 and can be used to monitor the temperature of the plate 110.

[0066] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a vapor accumulator reservoir 500 without a bell jar cover. The vapor accumulator reservoir 500 has a plate 510 and a bell jar 502, which together can partially define a vapor storage volume 503. There is also a main O-ring sandwiched between the plate 510 and the bell jar 502 and housed within a main O-ring groove. The vapor supply line 521 and the vapor concentration sensor 554 can be in fluid connection with the vapor storage volume 503 through a fluid seal interface 518.

[0067] In the illustrated embodiment, the vapor accumulator reservoir 500 does not have a bell jar cover with an internal flange and instead has a clamp structure 532. The bell jar cover can be replaced with a clamp structure to reduce material costs or for other reasons. This can be particularly useful when the bell jar is not made of a fragile material that is likely to break during operation.

[0068] In some embodiments, the clamp structure 532 may have a first surface proximate to the first side 512 of the plate 510 and a second surface proximate to the outer flange of the bell jar 502. The first surface can be interlocked with the plate 510 in the same manner as performed by the bell jar cover. In some embodiments, the second surface may be proximate to the outer flange of the bell jar 502 at a distance sufficient to prevent stress on the outer flange.

[0069] In other embodiments, there are a secondary O-ring groove 552 partially located on one or both of the second surface of the clamp structure 532 and the outer flange of the bell jar 502, and a secondary O-ring 550 at least partially located in the secondary O-ring groove 552. When the clamp structure 532 is connected to the plate 510, the second surface of the clamp structure 532 can seal the secondary O-ring 550 against the outer flange of the bell jar 502 in the same manner as the main O-ring forms a seal between the bell jar 502 and the plate 510. This seal can form a peripheral plenum volume 538 defined by the first side 512, the main O-ring, the main O-ring groove, the third surface of the clamp structure between the first surface and the second surface, and a portion of the outer flange of the bell jar 502. The inert gas or purge gas flowing into the peripheral plenum volume is sealed by the secondary O-ring 552 instead of the inner surface of the bell jar cover.

[0070] As can be seen, although no specific callout is provided, the vapor accumulation reservoir 500 may have a purge gallery groove and a fluid seal interface provided by a purge gas inlet, a purge gas passage, and a purge gas outlet in some embodiments. In some embodiments, there is also an O-ring positioned between the bell jar 502 and the clamp structure 532, providing a bumper effect and centering the clamp structure on the bell jar 532 as described above. This can be added to the secondary O-ring 552 that seals the clamp structure against the outer flange.

[0071] In some embodiments, the plate and the bellows need not be made of the same material, but may be made of a corrosion-resistant material. Since the plate and the bellows partially define the vapor accumulation volume, they are exposed to process gases that may be corrosive. Corrosion of the inner surface of the vapor accumulation volume can lead to contaminants in the process gas and thus to defects in the semiconductor wafers exposed to the process gas.

[0072] In some embodiments, the plate and the bellows may be made of one or more materials that are non-reactive with respect to process gases containing chlorinated precursors, oxychlorides, fluorinated precursors, or oxyfluorides. As used herein, a non-reactive material can be completely non-reactive or substantially non-reactive with the process gases flowing through the vapor accumulator reservoir, such that particles resulting from the reaction of the process gas with the non-reactive material do not cause defects in the processed semiconductor wafers. Non-reactive materials that can be used with chlorinated precursors, oxychlorides, fluorinated precursors, or oxyfluorides may include: quartz (SiO 2 ), sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with yttria (Y 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO 2 ), quartz coated with alumina / yttria laminate, borosilicate glass coated with quartz, borosilicate glass coated with sapphire, aluminum alloys such as 6061, 7075, or 3003 coated with alumina, hard anodized (Al 2 O 3) Aluminum alloys such as 6061, 7075, or 3003 for coating, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP) on aluminum alloys such as 6061, 7075, or 3003, polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or parylene coating on aluminum alloys such as 6061, 7075, or 3003, electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP) on stainless steel alloys such as 316 or 304, polymer, PTFE, PFA, or parylene coating on stainless steel alloys such as 316 or 304, corrosion-resistant Ni alloys, Hastelloy C-22, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy B-2, or Inconel 718. As described above, in some embodiments, the plate may be made of a metal alloy material that is generally easier to machine than a ceramic material.

[0073] In some embodiments, the process gas may include a brominated precursor, an oxybromide, an iodinated precursor, and / or an oxyiodide. In such embodiments, the non-reactive materials described above may be used with such compounds.

[0074] Figure 6 illustrates a high-level schematic view of a semiconductor processing tool incorporating a vapor accumulator reservoir. The semiconductor processing tool of Figure 6 is a multi-station ALD type tool, but the vapor accumulator reservoir discussed herein can also be used in other types of tools, such as PECVD, CVD, or etching tools. In Figure 6, two semiconductor processing chambers (which may also be referred to herein as "reactors", "reaction chambers", or "process chambers") 670 are shown, and each process chamber 670 may include a pedestal 671 that supports a semiconductor wafer 673 during semiconductor processing operations. The pedestal 671 may be movable between a plurality of vertical heights to facilitate loading / unloading or processing of the semiconductor wafer 673, and the pedestal 671 in the rightmost process chamber 670 is in a lowered position, while the pedestal 671 in the leftmost process chamber 670 is in a raised position.

[0075] Each process chamber 670 can include a chamber lid 639 that can include a plurality of gas distribution passages for distributing process gas across the entire semiconductor wafer 673. In this example, each chamber lid 639 includes two separate sets of gas distribution passages, each for distributing a different precursor gas. This prevents one precursor from mixing with residues of the other precursor, as can occur when both precursors flow through the same passage (such mixing can cause chemical reactions to occur outside of the location on the semiconductor wafer 673 and can be undesirable). In some embodiments, the gas distribution passages can be a structure separate from the chamber lid 639, such as a showerhead-style gas distributor, and it should be understood that the concepts described herein can be utilized with any type of chamber lid 639 or gas distributor.

[0076] In a system such as an ALD or ALE processing tool, a “microvolume” 672 can be formed within the process chamber during semiconductor processing operations. The microvolume 672 is formed between the pedestal 671 and the chamber lid 639 / gas distributor when the pedestal 671 is in the position required for wafer processing, and the chamber lid 639 or gas distributor can also have an annular wall that extends downwardly around the outer periphery of the pedestal 671, thereby defining a circumferential boundary for the microvolume. The microvolume has a much smaller volume than the total volume of the process chamber 670, resulting in less precursor usage, which enables more rapid dosing, more rapid purge, less reactant waste, and various other advantages. The microvolume 672 can be considered a continuous volume between the surface through which gas passes and is distributed across the entire semiconductor wafer 673 and pedestal 671, and can terminate at a first major flow restriction beyond where the semiconductor wafer 673 is supported (the first major flow restriction refers to a flow restriction large enough to prevent backflow of process gas into the microvolume during normal semiconductor processing operations). Process gas can be exhausted from the process chamber 670 via a vacuum foreline 640 that can be fluidly connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

[0077] Each chamber lid 639 can be supplied with a first process gas containing vapor from a vapor accumulation volume 603 provided by a vapor accumulator reservoir (not shown) as discussed herein. The first process gas can be supplied from the vapor accumulation volume 603 to each process chamber 670 via a corresponding vapor feed line 621. The flow of the first process gas through each vapor feed line 621 can be controlled by a corresponding first process gas dosing valve 674 (or control valve assembly) that may also include a flow restrictor, whereby the flow of fluid through the vapor feed line 621 is restricted to a fully blocked flow or a sonic flow across the restrictor. Alternatively, the flow restrictor can be located at other locations on the vapor feed line 621.

[0078] The vapor accumulation volume can have a volume large enough to enable supplying a single dose of vapor to each process chamber without affecting the ability of the vapor accumulator reservoir to provide single doses to other process chambers. In some embodiments, the volumetric vapor accumulation volume can be defined to satisfy the following relationship:

Equation

[0079] The chamber lid can also supply a second process gas such as hydrogen and other gases such as a chemically inert purge gas from a second process gas source 689 (not shown, but can be fed using a system similar to the system used for the second process gas). The flow of the second process gas to each chamber lid 639 can be controlled by a corresponding second process gas dosing valve 675.

[0080] As can be seen, the vapor accumulation volume 603 can be in fluid connection with the sensor 654. The sensor 654 can measure the vapor concentration within the vapor accumulation volume 603, thereby enabling the determination of the vapor concentration within the vapor accumulation volume 603.

[0081] The vapor accumulation volume can be in fluid communication with a purge gas supply inlet 636 connected to a reservoir purge gas source 688 in some embodiments. The flow of purge gas through the purge gas supply inlet 613 can be controlled, for example, by a reservoir purge gas valve 690 or other suitable control device. The purge gas may be added to fill a surrounding plenum volume (not shown, see previous description and figures) that at least partially surrounds the vapor accumulation volume 603, if desired.

[0082] The vapor storage volume 603 can be continuously replenished with vapor supplied from one or more vaporizers 676, such as vaporizers 676a / b / c / d, via a vapor inlet 656. Each of the vaporizers 676a / b / c / d can include an ampoule 677 that can contain a reactant 687, and carrier gas from a carrier gas source 679 can be selectively provided to each ampoule 677 via a corresponding carrier gas flow controller 680, which can control whether the carrier gas is supplied to the corresponding ampoule 677 and, if so, at what flow rate. As the carrier gas flows through one of the ampoules that can be maintained at a particular pressure and temperature, the reactant 687 can evaporate into the carrier gas and be carried from the ampoule towards a flow restrictor 682. Before reaching the flow restrictor 682, the reactant vapor and carrier gas mixture can be augmented by additional carrier gas supplied from an ampoule dilution gas source 683, and the additional carrier gas flow rate for each ampoule 677 can be adjusted by a corresponding ampoule dilution gas flow controller 691. Next, this combined flow of carrier gas and vapor can pass through the flow restrictor 682, which can be sized to induce a sonic flow in the carrier gas / vapor flow during normal operating conditions associated with semiconductor processing operations. Such a sonic flow can function as a buffer to prevent pressure fluctuations in the vapor accumulator reservoir from affecting the pressure environment within the ampoule 677, even if relatively small (e.g., on the order of 1 - 5 torr). Other types of vaporizers can also be used with the vapor accumulator reservoir, and it should be understood that the functionality provided by the vapor accumulator reservoir is independent of the type of vaporizer used. Other schemes with fewer ampoule dilution gas flow controllers 691 can also be used, for example, using one ampoule dilution gas flow controller 691 to control the flow of dilution gas to multiple ampoules 677.

[0083] In some embodiments, a controller 691 may be provided. The controller 691 may be part of a system that can include the examples described above, and may be operably connected to various valves, mass flow controllers, pumps, etc. to receive information from and / or control such devices. Such a system can include a semiconductor processing apparatus that includes one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more processing platforms, and / or specific processing components (such as a wafer pedestal, a gas flow system, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics for controlling the operation of the semiconductor wafer or substrate before, during, and after processing. Such electronics may sometimes be referred to as a "controller" and may control various components or sub-components of one or more systems. The controller may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, depending on the processing requirements and / or the type of system. Such processes include the delivery of various gases, temperature settings (such as heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, as well as position and motion settings.

[0084] In a broad sense, the controller may be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive commands, issue commands, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuit may include a chip in the form of firmware that stores program instructions, a digital signal processor (DSP), a chip defined as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or one or more microprocessors, i.e., a microcontroller that executes program instructions (e.g., software). The program instructions are instructions communicated to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that may define the operating parameters for performing a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or for a system. The operating parameters may, in some embodiments, be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to implement one or more processing steps in the fabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or wafer dies.

[0085] In some embodiments, the controller may be part of a computer that is integrated or coupled with the system, or otherwise network-connected to the system, or coupled to such a computer, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be within the "cloud", or may be all or part of the fab host computer system. This enables remote access to wafer processing. The computer enables remote access to the system, monitors the current progress of the fabrication operation, considers the history of past fabrication operations, considers trends or performance criteria from multiple fabrication operations, changes the parameters of the current process, sets the processing steps following the current process, or may start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) can provide a process recipe to the system through a network. Such a network may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that enables entry or programming of parameters and / or settings, and such parameters and / or settings are then communicated from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data. Such data specifies the parameters for each processing step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process being performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, for example, by comprising one or more individual controllers that are network-connected to each other and cooperate towards a common purpose (such as the processes and controls described herein). Examples of distributed controllers for such purposes would include one or more integrated circuits on a chamber that communicate with one or more integrated circuits that are remotely located (e.g., at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) and combined to control the process in the chamber.

[0086] Exemplary systems can include, but are not limited to, a plasma etching chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a cleaning chamber or module, a bevel edge etching chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etching (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a tracking chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or used in the fabrication and / or manufacture of semiconductor wafers.

[0087] As described above, depending on one or more process steps performed by a tool, the controller may communicate with one or more other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, proximate tools, tools located throughout the factory, a main computer, another controller, or a tool used for material transport to load and unload the wafer container to and from tool locations and / or load ports within a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

[0088] The phrase "one or more consecutive <items>" as used herein is to be understood to include not only cases where there are a plurality of <items>, but also cases where there is a single <item> (thus, technically, there are no other <items> that would be considered "consecutive" with that single <item>). In other words, the phrase "one or more consecutive <items>" is to be understood to mean "a single <item> or two or more consecutive <items>". Similarly, the phrases "for each <item> of one or more <items>" or "for each <item>" are to be understood to include both single-item groups and multi-item groups when used herein; that is, the phrase "for each" is used in the sense that in a programming language, it is used to refer to each item in the population of items being referred to. For example, if the population of items being referred to is a single item, "each" refers only to that single item (despite the fact that the dictionary definition of "each" often defines terms that refer to "one of each of two or more things"), and it does not mean that there must be at least two of those items.

[0089] The phrase "fluidly connected" is used herein to describe two volumes or components that are connected such that fluid can flow between them in substantially the same sense that "electrically connected" can be used to describe two components that are connected to allow electricity to flow from one to the other.

[0090] The foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, but it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the appended claims. Note that there are many alternative ways to implement the processes, systems, and apparatuses of this embodiment. Accordingly, this embodiment is to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the embodiments should not be limited to the details described herein.

[0091] The various embodiments described above can be provided through at least the following embodiments. The description of these embodiments is considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. However, additional embodiments that are apparent from the above discussion but not specifically described below are also within the scope of the present disclosure, and it is understood that the description of the following embodiments should not be considered an exclusive description of the embodiments.

[0092] Embodiment 1: An apparatus comprising a bell jar having a bottom opening and one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening, a plate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the bell jar being positioned such that the bottom opening is adjacent to the first side, the plate including one or more fluid seal interfaces, each fluid seal interface including at least one purge gas outlet located on the second side of the plate and fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate, one or more clamp structures having a bottom surface proximate to the first side of the plate and an internal flange extending radially inward from the bottom surface and proximate to the one or more flange structures, a peripheral plenum volume defined at least in part by a portion of the first side of the plate, a portion of each of the one or more clamp structures, and at least a portion of each of the one or more flange structures, and one or more purge gallery grooves located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the plate and the one or more clamp structures, the one or more purge gallery grooves being fluidly connected to the peripheral plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the apparatus.

[0093] Embodiment 2: An apparatus, comprising: a bellows having a bottom opening, one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening, and a sealing surface; a main O-ring; a plate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the bellows being positioned such that the sealing surface is adjacent to the first side, a main O-ring groove being located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the sealing surface of the bellows, the main O-ring being at least partially positioned within the groove of the main O-ring and sandwiched between the sealing surface of the bellows and the first side of the plate, the plate including one or more fluid seal interfaces, each fluid seal interface including: i) a port located inside the inner circumference of the main O-ring and extending from the first side to the second side through the plate, and ii) at least one purge gas outlet located on the second side of the plate and fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate; one or more clamp structures having a bottom surface proximate to the first side of the plate and an inner flange extending radially inward from the bottom surface and proximate to one or more flange structures; a peripheral plenum volume defined at least in part by at least a portion of each of the main O-ring, a portion of the main O-ring groove, a portion of the first side of the plate, a portion of the sealing surface, and at least a portion of one or more flange structures between the inner flange of one or more clamp structures and the sealing surface; one or more purge gallery grooves located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the plate and one or more clamp structures, the one or more purge gallery grooves being disposed around the main O-ring groove, the one or more purge gallery grooves being fluidly connected to the peripheral plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the apparatus, and a purge gas supply inlet fluidly connected to the one or more purge gallery grooves.

[0094] Embodiment 3: The apparatus according to either Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, further comprising a bell cover having a bottom opening and a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the bell cover being close to the first side of the first plate, the bell being at least partially accommodated within a volume defined by the first side of the plate and the inner surface of the bell cover, and the peripheral plenum volume being further defined at least partially by the inner surface of the bell cover and the outer surface of the bell.

[0095] Embodiment 4: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein one or more clamp structures are part of the bell cover, the bottom surface of the one or more clamp structures is the bottom surface of the bell cover, and the inner flange of the one or more clamp structures is the inner flange of the bell cover.

[0096] Embodiment 5: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the bell cover has an inner edge of the bottom surface close to the first side of the plate, one or more purge gallery grooves are located outside the inner edge, and the bell cover has a plurality of purge gas ports connecting the one or more purge gallery grooves to the peripheral plenum volume.

[0097] Embodiment 6: The apparatus according to Embodiment 5, wherein the plurality of purge gas ports have a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of the purge gallery groove in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery groove.

[0098] Embodiment 7: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 3 to 6, wherein one or more clamp structures are provided by an inner flange extending around the periphery of the bottom opening of the bell cover.

[0099] Embodiment 8: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, further comprising one or more heating elements close to the second side of the plate.

[0100] Embodiment 9: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, further comprising one or more temperature sensor devices, each temperature sensor device being in contact with an item selected from the group consisting of a bellows, a plate, and one of one or more fluid seal interfaces.

[0101] Embodiment 10: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the one or more flange structures are a single flange structure.

[0102] Embodiment 11: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the one or more clamp structures are a single clamp structure.

[0103] Embodiment 12: The apparatus according to Embodiment 11, wherein the one or more flange structures are a single flange structure, and the apparatus further comprises a secondary O-ring and a secondary O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of a single flange structure and a single clamp structure, the secondary O-ring being at least partially positioned within the secondary O-ring groove and being inserted radially between the single flange structure and a second surface of the single clamp structure.

[0104] Embodiment 13: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, having six fluid seal interfaces.

[0105] Embodiment 14: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 2 to 13, wherein the main O-ring groove is located in the plate.

[0106] Embodiment 15: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, wherein each fluid seal interface includes a flange plate, an interface O-ring, and an interface O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the flange plate and a second side of the plate.

[0107] Embodiment 16: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 15, further comprising a vapor accumulation volume at least partially defined by the inner surface of the bell jar, the main O-ring, and the first side of the plate.

[0108] Embodiment 17: The apparatus according to Embodiment 16, further comprising a pump fluidly connected to the bell jar volume and a controller including one or more processors and one or more memory devices, wherein the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices, and the pump are operably connected to each other, and the one or more memory devices store computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to reduce the absolute pressure in the bell jar volume to a level of less than 10 torr to 200 torr.

[0109] Embodiment 18: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the purge gas supply inlet is connected to a gas supply section containing an inert gas.

[0110] Embodiment 19: The apparatus according to Embodiment 18, wherein the inert gas includes one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, and neon.

[0111] Embodiment 20: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 19, further comprising a secondary O-ring at least partially positioned between the one or more flange structures and the one or more clamp structures.

[0112] Embodiment 21: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, wherein the main O-ring includes a flat annular section extending radially inward from a toroidal section.

[0113] Embodiment 22: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 3 or 7 to 21, further comprising a plurality of purge gas ports connecting one or more purge gallery grooves to the peripheral plenum volume, each of the plurality of purge gas ports having a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of the purge gallery groove in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery groove.

[0114] Embodiment 23: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the one or more purge gallery grooves are provided by a single purge gallery groove.

[0115] Embodiment 24: The apparatus according to Embodiment 23, wherein the single purge gallery groove forms a complete loop around the main O-ring groove.

[0116] Embodiment 25: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 24, wherein one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are connected to a gas supply source.

[0117] Embodiment 26: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 25, wherein one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are outlet interfaces for distributing gas.

[0118] Embodiment 27: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 26, wherein the bell jar is non-reactive with respect to chlorine-containing compounds.

[0119] Embodiment 28: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 27, wherein the bell jar is non-reactive with respect to fluorine-containing compounds.

[0120] Embodiment 29: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 28, wherein the plate is non-reactive with respect to chlorine-containing compounds.

[0121] Embodiment 30: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 29, wherein the plate is non-reactive with respect to fluorine-containing compounds.

[0122] Embodiment 31: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 30, wherein the bell jar is made of quartz (SiO 2 ), sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with sapphire, quartz coated with alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with yttria (Y 2 O 3 ), quartz coated with yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO 2 ), quartz with an alumina / yttria laminate coating, borosilicate glass with a quartz coating, borosilicate glass with a sapphire coating, an aluminum alloy, aluminum 6061 with an alumina coating, aluminum 7075 with an alumina coating, or aluminum 3003 with an alumina coating, hard anodized (Al 2 O 3)An apparatus comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of an aluminum alloy with a coating, aluminum 6061 with a hard anodized coating, aluminum 7075 with a hard anodized coating, or aluminum 3003 with a hard anodized coating, an aluminum alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP), aluminum 6061 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, aluminum 7075 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or aluminum 3003 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or a parylene-coated aluminum alloy, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 6061, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 7075, or a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 3003, a stainless steel alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, stainless steel 316 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or stainless steel 304 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless steel alloy, a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless steel 316, or a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless steel 304, a corrosion-resistant Ni alloy, Hastelloy C-22, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy B-2, and Inconel 718.

[0123] Embodiment 32: The apparatus according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 31, wherein the plate is an aluminum alloy, aluminum 6061 with an alumina coating, aluminum 7075 with an alumina coating, or aluminum 3003 with an alumina coating, hard anodized (Al 2 O 3)An apparatus comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of an aluminum alloy with a coating, aluminum 6061 with a hard anodized coating, aluminum 7075 with a hard anodized coating, or aluminum 3003 with a hard anodized coating, an aluminum alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP), aluminum 6061 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, aluminum 7075 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or aluminum 3003 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or an aluminum alloy with a parylene coating, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or an aluminum 6061 with a parylene coating, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or an aluminum 7075 with a parylene coating, or a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or an aluminum 3003 with a parylene coating, a stainless steel alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, stainless 316 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or stainless 304 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a stainless steel alloy with a parylene coating, a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or stainless 316 with a parylene coating, or a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or stainless 304 with a parylene coating, a corrosion-resistant Ni alloy, Hastelloy C-22, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy B-2, and Inconel 718. The present disclosure includes the following application examples. [Application Example 1] An apparatus comprising: a bell jar having a bottom opening, one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening, and a sealing surface; a main O-ring; a plate, wherein the plate has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the bell jar is positioned such that the sealing surface is adjacent to the first side, a main O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the sealing surface of the bell jar, wherein the main O-ring is at least partially positioned within the main O-ring groove and is sandwiched between the sealing surface of the bell jar and the first side of the plate, wherein the plate includes one or more fluid sealing interfaces, each fluid sealing interface including i) a port located inside the inner circumference of the main O-ring and extending through the plate from the first side to the second side, and ii) at least one purge gas outlet located on the second side of the plate and fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate; a plate; one or more clamp structures having a bottom surface adjacent to the first side of the plate and an inner flange extending radially inward from the bottom surface and adjacent to the one or more flange structures; at least partially, the main O-ring, a portion of the main O-ring groove, a portion of the first side of the plate, a portion of the sealing surface, and at least a portion of each of the one or more flange structures between the inner flange of the one or more clamp structures and the sealing surface; a peripheral plenum volume defined by; one or more purge gallery grooves located in a) one or more items selected from the group consisting of the plate and the one or more clamp structures, and b) disposed around the main O-ring groove, the one or more purge gallery grooves being fluidly connected to the peripheral plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the apparatus. A purge gas supply inlet fluidly connected to the one or more purge gallery grooves and a device comprising the same. [Application Example 2] A device comprising: a bell jar having a bottom opening and one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening; a plate, wherein the plate has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the bell jar is positioned such that the bottom opening is adjacent to the first side, the plate includes one or more fluid seal interfaces, each fluid seal interface is located on the second side of the plate, and includes at least one purge gas outlet fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate a plate; one or more clamp structures having a bottom surface proximate to the first side of the plate and an inner flange extending radially inward from the bottom surface and proximate to the one or more flange structures; at least partially, a part of the first side of the plate, a part of each of the one or more clamp structures, and at least a part of each of the one or more flange structures define a surrounding plenum volume; and one or more purge gallery grooves located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the plate and the one or more clamp structures, the one or more purge gallery grooves being fluidly connected to the surrounding plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the device and a device comprising the same. [Application Example 3] The device according to Application Example 2, further comprising a bell jar cover having a bottom opening and a bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface of the bell jar cover is proximate to the first side of the plate, wherein the bell jar is at least partially received within a volume defined by the first side of the plate and the inner surface of the bell jar cover, and wherein the surrounding plenum volume is at least partially further defined by the inner surface of the bell jar cover and the outer surface of the bell jar. A device. [Application Example 4] The device according to Application Example 3, wherein the one or more clamp structures are part of the bell jar cover. ​ The bottom surface of the one or more clamp structures is the bottom surface of the bell jar cover, The inner flange of the one or more clamp structures is the inner flange of the bell jar cover, Device. [Application Example 5] The device according to Application Example 3, The bell jar cover has an inner edge of the bottom surface close to the first side of the plate, The one or more purge gallery grooves are located outside the inner edge, The bell jar cover has a plurality of purge gas ports connecting the one or more purge gallery grooves to the surrounding plenum volume, Device. [Application Example 6] The device according to Application Example 5, The plurality of purge gas ports have a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of each of the one or more purge gallery grooves in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery grooves. Device. [Application Example 7] The device according to Application Example 3, The one or more clamp structures are provided by an inner flange extending around the bottom opening of the bell jar cover. Device. [Application Example 8] The device according to Application Example 2, Further comprising one or more items selected from the group consisting of one or more heating elements and one or more temperature sensor devices close to the second side of the plate, and each temperature sensor device is in contact with an item selected from the group consisting of the bell jar, the plate, and one of the one or more fluid seal interfaces. Device. [Application Example 9] The device according to Application Example 2, The one or more clamp structures are a single clamp structure, The one or more flange structures are a single flange structure, The device, A secondary O-ring, A secondary O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the single flange structure and the single clamp structure, wherein the secondary O-ring is at least partially positioned within the secondary O-ring groove and is inserted radially between the single flange structure and the single clamp structure. Secondary O-ring groove Further comprising, Device. [Application Example 10] The device according to Application Example 2, There are six fluid seal interfaces. Device. [Application Example 11] The device according to Application Example 2, An apparatus further comprising a main O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the bottom surface of the bell jar. [Application Example 12] The apparatus according to Application Example 11, further comprising a main O-ring in the main O-ring groove, the main O-ring including a flat annular section extending radially inward from a toroidal section. [Application Example 13] The apparatus according to Application Example 12, at least partially, the inner surface of the bell jar, the main O-ring, and the first side of the plate further comprising a vapor accumulation volume defined thereby. [Application Example 14] The apparatus according to Application Example 13, a pump fluidly connected to the vapor accumulation volume, and a controller including one or more processors and one or more memory devices further comprising, the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices, and the pump are operably connected to each other, the one or more memory devices storing computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to reduce the absolute pressure in the vapor accumulation volume to a level of less than 10 torr to 200 torr in the pump. Apparatus. [Application Example 15] The apparatus according to Application Example 2, further comprising a plurality of purge gas ports connecting the one or more purge gallery grooves to the ambient plenum volume, each of the plurality of purge gas ports having a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of each of the one or more purge gallery grooves in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery groove. [Application Example 16] The apparatus according to Application Example 2, wherein the one or more purge gallery grooves are provided by a single purge gallery groove. [Application Example 17] The apparatus according to Application Example 16, wherein the single purge gallery groove forms a complete loop around the main O-ring groove, and the main O-ring groove is located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the seal surface of the bell jar. [Application Example 18] The apparatus according to any one of Application Examples 2 to 17, An apparatus, wherein each fluid seal interface includes a flange plate, an interface O-ring, and an interface O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the flange plate and the second side of the plate and the flange plate. [Application Example 19] The apparatus according to any one of Application Examples 2 to 17, further comprising a purge gas supply inlet fluidly connected to a gas supply unit including the one or more purge gallery grooves and an inert gas, the inert gas including one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, and neon. [Application Example 20] The apparatus according to any one of Application Examples 2 to 17, wherein one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are connected to a gas supply source. [Application Example 21] The apparatus according to any one of Application Examples 2 to 17, wherein one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are outlet interfaces for distributing gas. [Application Example 22] The apparatus according to any one of Application Examples 2 to 17, wherein the bell jar, the plate, or the bell jar and the plate are a) one or more that are non-reactive to chlorine-containing compounds and non-reactive to fluorine-containing compounds, and b) quartz (SiO 2 ), sapphire (Al 2 O 3)-coated quartz, alumina (Al 2 O 3 )-coated quartz, yttria (Y 2 O 3 )-coated quartz, yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO 2 )-coated quartz, alumina / yttria laminate-coated quartz, quartz-coated borosilicate glass, sapphire-coated borosilicate glass, aluminum alloy, alumina-coated aluminum 6061, alumina-coated aluminum 7075, or alumina-coated aluminum 3003, hard anodized (Al 2 O 3 )An apparatus comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of an aluminum alloy with a coating, aluminum 6061 with a hard anodized coating, aluminum 7075 with a hard anodized coating, or aluminum 3003 with a hard anodized coating, an aluminum alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP), aluminum 6061 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, aluminum 7075 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or aluminum 3003 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or a parylene-coated aluminum alloy, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 6061, a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 7075, or a polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or a parylene-coated aluminum 3003, a stainless steel alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, stainless 316 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or stainless 304 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless steel alloy, a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless 316, or a polymer, PTFE, PFA, or a parylene-coated stainless 304, a corrosion-resistant Ni alloy, Hastelloy C-22, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy B-2, and Inconel 718.

Claims

1. An accumulator reservoir for a semiconductor processing system, comprising: a bell jar having a bottom opening, one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening, and a sealing surface, wherein vapor is accumulated; a main O-ring; a plate, wherein the plate has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the bell jar is positioned such that the sealing surface is adjacent to the first side, a main O-ring groove located at one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the sealing surface of the bell jar, wherein the main O-ring is at least partially positioned within the main O-ring groove and is sandwiched between the sealing surface of the bell jar and the first side of the plate, wherein the plate includes one or more fluid seal interfaces, and the one or more fluid seal interfaces include: i) a port located inside the inner circumference of the main O-ring and extending from the first side to the second side through the plate, and ii) at least one purge gas outlet located on the second side of the plate and fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate; a plate; one or more clamp structures having a bottom surface adjacent to the first side of the plate and an internal flange extending radially inward, wherein the one or more flange structures are located between the internal flange and the plate; at least partially, the main O-ring, a part of the main O-ring groove, a part of the first side of the plate, a part of the sealing surface, and at least a part of each of the one or more flange structures between the internal flange of the one or more clamp structures and the sealing surface; a surrounding plenum volume defined thereby; one or more purge gallery grooves located at: a) one or more items selected from the group consisting of the plate and the one or more clamp structures, and b) disposed around the main O-ring groove, wherein the one or more purge gallery grooves are fluidly connected to the surrounding plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the accumulator reservoir. A purge gas supply inlet fluidly connected to the one or more purge gallery grooves and comprising an inert gas is used as the purge gas an accumulator reservoir.

2. An accumulator reservoir for a semiconductor processing system, a bellows having a bottom opening and one or more flange structures disposed around the bottom opening and extending radially outward from the bottom opening, in which vapor accumulates, a plate, the plate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the bellows being positioned such that the bottom opening is adjacent to the first side, the plate including one or more fluid seal interfaces, each fluid seal interface being located on the second side of the plate and including at least one purge gas outlet fluidly connected to a corresponding purge gas inlet located on the first side of the plate by a corresponding purge gas passage located within the plate a plate, one or more clamp structures having a bottom surface adjacent to the first side of the plate and an internal flange extending radially inward, the one or more flange structures being located between the internal flange and the plate at least partially a peripheral plenum volume defined by a portion of the first side of the plate, a portion of each of the one or more clamp structures, and at least a portion of each of the one or more flange structures and one or more purge gallery grooves located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the plate and the one or more clamp structures, the one or more purge gallery grooves being fluidly connected to the peripheral plenum volume and each purge gas inlet within the accumulator reservoir and comprising an inert gas is used as the purge gas an accumulator reservoir.

3. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, further comprising a bellows cover having a bottom opening and a bottom surface wherein the bottom surface of the bellows cover is adjacent to the first side of the plate, and the bellows is at least partially housed within a volume defined by the first side of the plate and the inner surface of the bellows cover ​ The surrounding plenum volume is further defined, at least in part, by the inner surface of the bell cover and the outer surface of the bell. Accumulator reservoir. **Claim 4** The accumulator reservoir according to claim 3, wherein the one or more clamp structures are part of the bell cover, wherein a bottom surface of the one or more clamp structures is the bottom surface of the bell cover, and wherein an inner flange of the one or more clamp structures is the inner flange of the bell cover. Accumulator reservoir. **Claim 5** The accumulator reservoir according to claim 3, wherein the bell cover has an inner edge of the bottom surface proximate to the first side of the plate, wherein the one or more purge gallery grooves are located outside the inner edge, and wherein the bell cover has a plurality of purge gas ports connecting the one or more purge gallery grooves to the surrounding plenum volume. Accumulator reservoir. **Claim 6** The accumulator reservoir according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of purge gas ports have a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of a cross-sectional area of each of the one or more purge gallery grooves in a plane perpendicular to a path followed by the purge gallery grooves. **Claim 7** The accumulator reservoir according to claim 3, wherein the one or more clamp structures are provided by an inner flange extending around a periphery of the bottom opening of the bell cover. **Claim 8** The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, further comprising one or more items selected from the group consisting of one or more heating elements and one or more temperature sensor devices proximate to the second side of the plate, and each temperature sensor device is in contact with an item selected from the group consisting of the bell, the plate, and one of the one or more fluid seal interfaces. **Claim 9** The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, wherein the one or more clamp structures are a single clamp structure, wherein the one or more flange structures are a single flange structure, and wherein the accumulator reservoir comprises an O-ring, An O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the single flange structure and the single clamp structure, wherein the O-ring is at least partially positioned within the O-ring groove and is inserted radially between the single flange structure and the single clamp structure. Further comprising An accumulator reservoir.

10. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, An accumulator reservoir having six fluid seal interfaces.

11. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, Further comprising a main O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the bottom surface of the bell jar.

12. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 11, Further comprising a main O-ring within the main O-ring groove, the main O-ring including a flat annular section extending radially inward from a toroidal section.

13. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 12, At least partially The inner surface of the bell jar, The main O-ring, and The first side of the plate Further comprising a vapor accumulation volume defined thereby.

14. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 13, A pump fluidly connected to the vapor accumulation volume, and A controller including one or more processors and one or more memory devices Further comprising, The one or more processors, the one or more memory devices, and the pump are operably connected to each other, The one or more memory devices store computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to reduce the absolute pressure within the vapor accumulation volume to a level between less than 10 torr and 200 torr in the pump. An accumulator reservoir.

15. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, The accumulator reservoir further comprises a plurality of purge gas ports connecting the one or more purge gallery grooves to the surrounding plenum volume, each of the plurality of purge gas ports having a cross-sectional area of less than about 10% of the cross-sectional area of each of the one or more purge gallery grooves in a plane perpendicular to the path followed by the purge gallery groove.

16. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 2, wherein the one or more purge gallery grooves are provided by a single purge gallery groove.

17. The accumulator reservoir according to claim 16, wherein the single purge gallery groove forms a complete loop around the main O-ring groove, and the main O-ring groove is located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the first side of the plate and the sealing surface of the bell jar.

18. The accumulator reservoir according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein each of the one or more fluid seal interfaces includes a flange plate, an interface O-ring, and an interface O-ring groove located in one or more items selected from the group consisting of the flange plate and the second side of the plate, the flange plate is connected to the second side of the plate, and the interface O-ring is at least partially positioned within the interface O-ring groove.

19. The accumulator reservoir according to any one of claims 2 to 17, further comprising a purge gas supply inlet fluidly connected to a gas supply section including the one or more purge gallery grooves and an inert gas, the inert gas including one or more of argon, helium, nitrogen, and neon.

20. The accumulator reservoir according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are connected to a purge gas source.

21. The accumulator reservoir according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein one or more of the one or more fluid seal interfaces are outlet interfaces for distributing purge gas.

22. An accumulator reservoir according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein the bell jar, the plate, or the bell jar and the plate are one or more of a) non-reactive to chlorine-containing compounds and non-reactive to fluorine-containing compounds, The Berger, the plate, or the Berger and the plate are b) quartz (SiO 2 ), sapphire (Al 2 O 3 )-coated quartz, alumina (Al 2 O 3 )-coated quartz, yttria (Y 2 O 3 )-coated quartz, yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO 2 )-coated quartz, alumina / yttria laminate-coated quartz, borosilicate glass coated with quartz, borosilicate glass coated with sapphire, aluminum alloy, aluminum 6061 coated with alumina, aluminum 7075 coated with alumina, or aluminum 3003 coated with alumina, hard anodized (Al 2 O 3 An accumulator reservoir comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: aluminum alloy with coating, aluminum 6061 with hard anodized coating, aluminum 7075 with hard anodized coating, or aluminum 3003 with hard anodized coating; aluminum alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating (NiP), aluminum 6061 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, aluminum 7075 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or aluminum 3003 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating; aluminum alloy with polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), or parylene coating, aluminum 6061 with polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or parylene coating, aluminum 7075 with polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or parylene coating, or aluminum 3003 with polymer polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, or parylene coating; stainless steel alloy with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, stainless 316 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating, or stainless 304 with electroless high-phosphate nickel plating; stainless steel alloy with polymer, PTFE, PFA, or parylene coating, stainless 316 with polymer, PTFE, PFA, or parylene coating, or stainless 304 with polymer, PTFE, PFA, or parylene coating; corrosion-resistant Ni alloys, Hastelloy C-22, Hastelloy C-276, Hastelloy B-2, and Inconel 718.

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