Condenser system for high pressure processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11610773-B2
Application number	US-202016830420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2020
Priority date	Nov 17, 2017
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to a high pressure processing system with a condenser and methods for utilizing the same. The processing system includes a process chamber, a boiler, a condenser, and one or more heat exchangers. The boiler generates a fluid, such as a vapor or supercritical fluid, and delivers the fluid to the process chamber where a substrate is processed. After processing the substrate, the system is depressurized and the fluid is delivered to the condenser where the fluid is condensed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate process method, comprising:
heating a boiler in fluid communication with a process chamber, a condenser, and a fluid collection unit;
closing a boiler valve disposed on a conduit connecting the boiler and the process chamber;
opening valves disposed on conduits connecting the fluid collection unit and the process chamber;
positioning a substrate in the process chamber;
heating the process chamber;
closing the valves disposed on conduits connecting the fluid collection unit and the process chamber;
opening the boiler valve to enable fluid flow between the boiler and the process chamber;
flowing a heated fluid from the boiler to the process chamber;
processing the substrate with the heated fluid; opening valves disposed on conduits connecting the condenser and the process chamber process to enable fluid flow between the process chamber and the condenser; and
depressurizing the process chamber by flowing the heated fluid from the process chamber to the condenser.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conduits connecting the fluid collection unit and the process chamber, and conduits connecting an exhaust and the process chamber, are heated.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein conduits connecting a fluid source and the process chamber are heated.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the boiler is in fluid communication with a water source.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
heating conduits connecting the fluid collection unit and the condenser to a temperature of between about 30° C. and about 100° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the boiler is in fluid communication with an NH 3 source.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting an amount of condensed fluid in the condenser;
determining when the amount of condensed fluid is above a predetermined threshold; and
delivering the condensed fluid to the fluid collection unit.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the fluid is water vapor.

9. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
heating conduits connecting the fluid collection unit and the condenser to a temperature of between about 275° C. and about 300° C.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the process chamber is heated to a temperature of between about 450° C. and about 500° C.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein the fluid is supercritical CO 2 .

12. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
heating conduits connecting the process chamber to fluid sources, the conduits connecting the process chamber and the condenser, and conduits connecting the process chamber to heat exchangers, to a temperature of between about 30° C. and about 100° C.; and
pressurizing the boiler.

13. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
pressurizing the process chamber to between about 80 bar and about 100 bar; and
heating the process chamber to about 100° C.

14. The method of claim 5 , wherein opening valves disposed on conduits connecting the process chamber to a heat exchanger reduces a temperature of the fluid.

15. The method of claim 5 , wherein the condenser is maintained at a temperature of between about 8° C. and about 10° C.

16. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fluid is supercritical NH 3 .

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the process chamber is pressurized to between about 40 bar and about 50 bar.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Delmas Jean

Classifications

• H10P72/0408

  for drying · CPC title

• H10P70/80 Primary

  Cleaning only by supercritical fluids · CPC title

• B01J3/008 Primary

  Processes carried out under supercritical conditions · CPC title

• B01J2219/00162

  controlling the pressure · CPC title

• B08B3/02

  Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays · CPC title