Gas Supply Vessel Crossover for Stable Semiconductor Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas delivery systems experience significant pressure fluctuations during vessel crossover, leading to disruptions in gas flow and process variability in semiconductor manufacturing, which can trigger alarms or slow responses to actual problems.
Innovation Solution
An automated crossover system for gas delivery systems that maintains simultaneous gas supply from both on-stream and standby vessels, using sensors and controllers to manage predefined endpoints and smooth transitions, minimizing pressure variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If automatic vessel crossover is implemented in gas delivery systems, then vessel changeover is automated and continuous gas supply is maintained, but significant pressure fluctuations occur during crossover
Solution Approach 1:
The system opens the standby vessel valve before closing the active vessel valve during crossover. This preliminary action ensures that gas flow is already established from the standby vessel before the active vessel is disconnected, preventing pressure drops and maintaining stable gas supply throughout the automated transition process
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous gas flow from the standby vessel to the process tool during the entire crossover process. By keeping the standby vessel connected and flowing gas continuously while transitioning from the active vessel, the system eliminates interruptions and pressure fluctuations that would otherwise occur during vessel changeover
2Measurement precision
If vessel depletion endpoint is detected by pressure decline, then automatic crossover can be triggered, but pressure drop may trigger false alarms or system shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The system opens the standby vessel valve in advance before triggering the crossover. This preliminary action prevents the pressure drop that would normally occur during vessel transition, ensuring that pressure monitoring systems do not interpret the normal depletion pressure decline as a fault condition requiring alarm or shutdown
Solution Approach 2:
The standby vessel acts as an intermediary gas source that takes over supply before the active vessel is fully depleted. This intermediary transition smooths out pressure variations and prevents the abrupt pressure drops that would trigger false alarms or unsafe shutdown conditions
Data Source
AI summary
This invention provides gas supply and dispensing system and method of operating the same, comprising first on-stream vessel and first standby vessel, wherein the system is used to dispense gas at a preset gas flow rate; sensors in communication with a controller to sense a predefined endpoint of the first on-stream vessel thereby causing the controller to initiate auto-crossing from the first on-stream vessel to the first standby vessel in the array having gas therein, for subsequent dispensing of gas from the first standby vessel; wherein the controller after sensing the predefined endpoint initiates flow of gas from the first standby vessel, the first standby vessel thereby becoming the second on-stream vessel dispensing gas concurrently with the first on-stream vessel for a period prior to terminating the flow of gas from the first on-stream vessel.