An apparatus that performs a film forming process includes: a rotary table having one surface on which substrates are placed and for revolving the substrates around a rotary shaft; a vacuum container configured to accommodate the rotary table and configured such that a space formed between the vacuum container and the one surface is separated into a first processing region and a second processing region, and the substrates repeatedly and alternately pass through the first and second processing regions; a vacuum chuck mechanism provided in the rotary table and including suction ports opened to placement regions on which the substrates are placed, to suction and fix the substrates, and suction flow paths provided to communicate with the suction ports; and a switching mechanism configured to switch an operation status of the vacuum chuck mechanism between a full fixed state and a selective release state.

A trap is provided for a vacuum line to be mounted on a pipe connected to a reactor, the trap including: a chamber including an inlet and a bottom wall; an outlet tube in communication with the chamber and including another inlet, the inlet and the outlet tube are configured to be connected to the pipe and to permit passage of a flow of gas to be pumped coming from the reactor; and a deflector between the inlet and the another inlet, the bottom wall being below the another inlet and being an annular cup or an adjustable height cup, and conformed so as to cooperate with the deflector to permit an accumulation of solid elements in the bottom wall when the flow of gas is reduced and to expel the solid elements from the chamber by aerodynamic entrainment when the flow of gas is increased.

A contaminant trap system of a reactor system may comprise a baffle plate stack comprising at least one baffle plate comprising an aperture spanning through a baffle plate body of the baffle plate, and a body portion; and at least one complementary baffle plate comprising a complementary aperture spanning through a complementary baffle plate body of the complementary baffle plate, and a complementary body portion. The at least one baffle plate and the at least one complementary baffle plate may be disposed in a baffle plate order between a first end and a second end of the baffle plate stack in which the baffle plates alternate with the complementary baffle plates, such that no two baffle plates or no two complementary baffle plates are adjacent in the baffle plate order. The at least one baffle plate may comprise a sintered material.

A gas system includes an enclosure, a process gas metering valve, a shutoff valve, and a flow switch. The process gas metering valve arranged within the enclosure to flow a process gas to a process chamber of a semiconductor processing system. The shutoff valve is connected to the process gas metering valve to fluidly separate the process gas metering valve from a process gas source. The flow switch is operably connected to the shutoff valve to cease flow of the process gas to the process chamber of the semiconductor processing system using the shutoff valve according to flow of a gas traversing the flow switch. Semiconductor processing systems, gas control methods, and gas system kits are also described.

A method and apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates is described herein. The apparatus includes one or more growth monitors disposed within an exhaust system of a deposition chamber. The growth monitors are quartz crystal film thickness monitors and are configured to measure the film thickness grown on the growth monitors while a substrate is being processed within the deposition chamber. The growth monitors are connected to a controller, which adjusts the heating apparatus and gas flow apparatus settings during the processing operations. Measurements from the growth monitors as well as other sensors within the deposition chamber are used to adjust processing chamber models of the deposition chamber as substrates are processed therein.

A processing chamber for processing a substrate is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the processing chamber includes a liner assembly disposed within an interior volume of the processing chamber, and a C-channel disposed in an interior volume of the chamber, circumscribing the liner assembly. In another embodiment, a process kit disposed in the interior volume of the processing chamber is disclosed herein. The process kit includes a liner assembly, a C-channel, and an isolator disposed in the interior volume. The C-channel and the isolator circumscribe the liner assembly. A method for depositing a silicon based material on a substrate by flowing a precursor gas into a processing chamber is also described herein.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate retainer configured to support a substrate; a heat-insulating unit; a transfer chamber; and a gas supply mechanism configured to supply a gas into the transfer chamber, the gas supply mechanism including: a first gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas into an upper region of the transfer chamber, where the substrate retainer is disposed such that the gas flows horizontally through the upper region; and a second gas supply mechanism configured to supply the gas into a lower region of the transfer chamber, where the heat-insulating unit is provided such that the gas flows downward through the lower region, wherein the first gas supply mechanism and the second gas supply mechanism are disposed along a first sidewall of the transfer chamber, and the second gas supply mechanism is disposed lower than the first gas supply mechanism.

A module for a vacuum pumping and/or abatement system. The module comprises a frame defining a space, a plurality of facilities inputs configured to receive facilities from a facilities supply, a plurality of facilities outputs configured to output the received facilities out of the module, and a plurality of facilities connection lines located at least partially within the space defined by the frame. The plurality of facilities connection lines connect the facilities inputs to the facilities outputs. The module further comprises a controller configured to control supply of facilities received at the facilities inputs out of the facilities outputs; and control operation of one or more vacuum pumping and/or abatement apparatuses remote from the module.

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a stage installed inside a processing chamber and holding a semiconductor substrate having a high-k insulating film including silicate; and a gas supply line including a first system supplying reactive gas to the processing chamber and a second system supplying catalytic gas to the processing chamber, wherein mixed gas which includes complex forming gas reacting with a metal element included in the high-k insulating film to form a first volatile organometallic complex and complex stabilizing material gas increasing stability of the first organometallic complex is supplied as the reactive gas, and catalytic gas using a second organometallic complex, which modifies the high-k insulating film and promotes a formation reaction of the first organometallic complex, as a raw material is supplied.

A method of optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus configured to treat an effluent stream from a processing tool and an abatement apparatus are disclosed. The method of optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus configured to treat an effluent stream from a processing tool comprises: determining a concentration of carbon monoxide produced by the abatement apparatus when treating the effluent stream; and adjusting an operating parameter of the abatement apparatus in response to the concentration of carbon monoxide. In this way, the performance of the abatement device can be controlled by simply adjusting the operating parameters of the abatement device in response to the amount of carbon monoxide being produced to create conditions within the abatement apparatus which improve the removal of compounds being treated within the abatement device, while reducing undesirable by-products and without requiring advanced knowledge of the content of the effluent stream.