Protecting an interior of a gas container with an ALD coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11326254-B2
Application number	US-201415123052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2014
Priority date	Mar 3, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus and method for protecting a gas container interior, where an inlet and exhaust manifold include a port assembly attachable to a port of the gas container is provided, the gas container interior is exposed to sequential self-saturating surface reactions by sequential inlet of reactive gases via the port assembly and the port into the gas container interior, and reaction residue is pumped via the port and the port assembly out from the gas container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for protecting a gas container interior, comprising:
a vacuum chamber surrounding a reaction chamber formed by the gas container, the apparatus configured to detachably attach to a port of the gas container, such that a port assembly seals the gas container;
a feedthrough in the vacuum chamber wall;
at least one in-feed line and an exhaust line, the at least one in-feed line providing a gas discharge point within the gas container at an end of the gas container where the port assembly attaches and the exhaust line providing a gas exhaust point within the gas container at an end opposite to the end in which the port assembly attaches, the at least one in-feed line comprising at least a first precursor in-feed line originating from a first precursor source and extending to said feedthrough and a second precursor in-feed line originating from a second precursor source and extending separate from said first precursor in-feed line to said feedthrough;
an inactive purge gas in-feed conduit comprising a discharge opening in connection with said feedthrough to guide inactive purge gas into an intermediate space between the gas container and the vacuum chamber;
an exhaust conduit on opposite side of the vacuum chamber to provide a top-to-bottom flow of inactive purge gas from the discharge opening and further along an outer surface of the gas container to the exhaust conduit;
a control system to control exposure of the gas container interior to sequential self-saturating surface reactions by sequential inlet of a first and second precursor vapor via said port assembly, the port assembly sealing the gas container to limit said self-saturating surface reactions to occur within the gas container interior; and
a pump configured to pump excess gases via said port and said port assembly along an exhaust line out from the gas container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising a controlling element for the at least one in-feed line.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
an inactive gas in-feed line configured to guide inactive purge gas into an intermediate space between the gas container and a surrounding vacuum chamber wall.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising an exhaust conduit forming a fluid communication path between the intermediate space and the pump.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , comprising a controlling element for the inactive gas in-feed line.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the exhaust line extends from the gas container to the pump through said intermediate space without mixing said excess gases with the inactive purge gas in the intermediate space.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the port assembly comprises a sealing part attachable to the port of the gas container.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the sealing part comprises a tapered thread.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is mobile.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the port assembly comprises the first precursor in-feed line, the second precursor in-feed line, and the exhaust line as separate lines.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , comprising the first precursor in-feed line extending from the first precursor source all the way to the port assembly and the second precursor in-feed line extending from the second precursor source all the way to the port assembly as separate lines.

12. A method of protecting a gas container interior, the method comprising:
surrounding the gas container with a vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber comprising a feedthrough in the vacuum chamber wall, the gas container forming a reaction chamber;
detachably attaching a port assembly to a port of the gas container such that the port assembly seals the gas container;
providing the gas container interior with at least one in-feed line and an exhaust line, the at least one in-feed line providing a gas discharge point within the gas container at an end of the gas container where the port assembly attaches, and the exhaust line providing a gas exhaust point within the gas container at an end opposite to the end in which the port assembly attaches, the at least one in-feed line comprising at least a first precursor in-feed line and a second precursor in-feed line;
providing an inactive purge gas in-feed conduit comprising a discharge opening m connection with said feedthrough to guide inactive purge gas into an intermediate space between the gas container and the vacuum chamber;
providing an exhaust conduit on opposite side of the vacuum chamber to provide a top-to-bottom flow of inactive purge gas from the discharge opening and further along an outer surface of the gas container to the exhaust conduit;
exposing the gas container interior to sequential self-saturating surface reactions by sequential inlet via said port assembly of a first precursor vapor originating from a first precursor source and extending along the first precursor in-feed line to said feedthrough in the vacuum chamber wall, and a second precursor vapor originating from a second precursor source and extending along a second precursor in-feed line separate from said first precursor in-feed line to said feedthrough, wherein a computer implemented control system is used to control the in-feed lines of the first and second precursor vapors; and
pumping excess gases via said port assembly in said port along an exhaust line out from the gas container.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising pumping reaction residue and purge gas from the gas container interior by a vacuum pump attached to the exhaust line.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the gas container is used as a reaction vessel sealed by a sealing part comprised by the port assembly.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said sealing part comprises a tapered thread detachably attachable to said port of the gas container in the place of a stop valve.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein said port assembly comprises a fitting part attachable to the sealing part allowing the sealing part to twist to tighten against said port of the gas container.

17. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
guiding inactive purge gas into an intermediate space between the gas container and a surrounding chamber wall, and
pumping said inactive purge gas out from the intermediate space.

18. The method of claim 12 , comprising providing the first precursor in-feed line, the second precursor in-feed line, and the exhaust line as separate lines in the port assembly.

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising providing the first precursor in-feed line extending from the first precursor source all the way to the port assembly and the second precursor in-feed line extending from the second precursor source all the way to the port assembly as separate lines.

Assignees

• Picosun Oy

Inventors

• Sammelselg Väino
• Kostamo Juhana
• Bayerl Willi
• Aarik Jaan
• Aarik Lauri
• Lindfors Sven
• Adam Peter
• Poutiainen Juho

Classifications

• B05D7/227

  of containers, cans or the like · CPC title

• C23C16/4409

  characterised by sealing means · CPC title

• C23C16/45555

  applied in non-semiconductor technology · CPC title

• C23C16/4412

  Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps · CPC title

• C23C16/045 Primary

  Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates · CPC title