| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of vacuum chamber load lock purge, and its equipment. SOLUTION: The purge equipment is equipped with a purge gas diffusion apparatus located at the rear of the load lock chamber. The purge gas diffusion apparatus is located near the vacuum door, apart from the atmosphere door so that the purge gas can be diffused toward the atmosphere door in purge. The purge gas diffusion apparatus is porous so that the purge gas such as nitrogen can purge the oxygen or other contaminant from the load lock out the load lock chamber. The purge gas diffusion apparatus may be tubular and is placed in an offset channel portion, which communicates with a through-way of the load lock chamber and is offset from the through-way, in the load lock chamber. Products, such as semiconductor wafer, can advance through the through-way without prevention of the diffusion apparatus. The load lock purge system is useful, for example, in a thin film deposition process, or, other process where precisely controlled pressure and concentration affect the integrity of the process. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI
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