Disclosed is a system for treating exhaust fluid from semiconductor manufacturing equipment in which cleaning gases decomposed by a plastic apparatus alternately flow towards a front rotor region (a main rotor unit) and a rear rotor region (a subsidiary rotor unit) of a booster pump and then flow towards a dry pump, and thus uniformly react with process byproducts present throughout the whole area in a vacuum pump including the booster pump and the dry pump so as to improve removal efficiency of the process byproducts. Further, the retention time of the cleaning gases decomposed by the plasma apparatus in the vacuum pump is increased by adjusting the pressure in the pump with the rotational speed of a motor, and thus the reaction time of the cleaning gases with the process byproducts is increased, so as to further improve removal efficiency of the process byproducts, such as SiO.sub.2 powder.

Systems and methods for producing nitrates, nitric acid, salts thereof, or a mixture thereof are disclosed. The systems may include a feed conduit configured for receiving a feed stream comprising molecular oxygen and molecular nitrogen; an inlet conduit configured for receiving an inlet stream; a plasma reactor fluidically coupled to the inlet conduit, the plasma reactor fluidically coupled to a reactor-outlet conduit configured for receiving the reactor-outlet stream, the plasma reactor configured to produce oxidized nitrogen species; and an absorber fluidically coupled to the reactor-outlet conduit, the absorber configured to receive the reactor outlet stream and to produce nitrates, nitrites, nitric acid, salts thereof, or a mixture thereof from the reactor outlet stream. A recycle conduit may be fluidically coupled to the absorber and the inlet conduit, wherein the recycle conduit is configured to receive the gas-phase stream from the absorber and provide the gas-phase stream to the inlet conduit.

Methods and apparatus for passivating a target are provided herein. For example, a method includes a) supplying an oxidizing gas into an inner volume of the process chamber; b) igniting the oxidizing gas to form a plasma and oxidize at least one of a target or target material deposited on a process kit disposed in the inner volume of the process chamber; and c) performing a cycle purge comprising: c1) providing air into the process chamber to react with the at least one of the target or target material deposited on the process kit; c2) maintaining a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time within the process chamber to generate a toxic by-product caused by the air reacting with the at least one of the target or target material deposited on the process kit; and c3) exhausting the process chamber to remove the toxic by-product.

Embodiments disclosed herein include an abatement system for abating compounds produced in semiconductor processes. The abatement system includes an exhaust cooling apparatus located downstream of a plasma source. The exhaust cooling apparatus includes at least one cooling plate a device for introducing turbulence to the exhaust flowing within the exhaust cooling apparatus. The device may be a plurality of fins, a cylinder with a curved top portion, or a diffuser with angled blades. The turbulent flow of the exhaust within the exhaust cooling apparatus causes particles to drop out of the exhaust, minimizing particles forming in equipment downstream of the exhaust cooling apparatus.

An apparatus for providing plasma processing is provided. A plasma processing chamber is provided. A first turbopump with an inlet is in fluid connection with the plasma processing chamber and an exhaust. A gas source provides gas to the plasma processing chamber. At least one gas line is in fluid connection between the gas source and the plasma processing chamber. At least one bleed line is in fluid connection with the at least one gas line. At least one gas line valve is on the at least one gas line located between, where the at least one bleed line is connected to the at least one gas line and the plasma processing chamber. At least one bypass valve is on the at least one bleed line.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a chamber in which a target substrate is accommodated; a first gas supply part configured to supply a gas containing a first monomer, and a gas containing a second monomer, which forms a polymer through a polymerization reaction with the first monomer, into the chamber so as to form a film of the polymer on the target substrate; an exhaust device configured to exhaust a gas inside the chamber; a first exhaust pipe configured to connect the chamber and the exhaust device; and an energy supply device configured to supply an energy with respect to a gas flowing through the first exhaust pipe so as to cause an unreacted component of at least one of the first monomer and the second monomer contained in the gas exhausted from the chamber to be reduced in a molecular weight.

A plasma abatement apparatus includes: a plasma device configured to generate a plasma stream from a plasma gas; an effluent stream aperture configured to convey the effluent stream into the plasma stream for treatment by the plasma stream; a first aperture positioned to deliver a reducing reactant to a first region of the plasma stream; and a second aperture positioned to deliver an oxidising reactant to a second region of the plasma stream, wherein the second region is located at a position of the plasma stream which is cooler than the first region.

The subject of the invention is a method and device for reducing contamination in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, particularly for plasma processing of materials. The method is based on the fact that the contaminated gas pumped out of at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) is purified in at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E), in which a glow discharge is initiated between the anodes of the purifying plasma lamp (A01, A02) and the cathodes of the purifying plasma lamp (K.sub.01, K.sub.02), favorably particles of lubricants are cracked and partially polymerized, while processed heavy particles of lubricants are collected in a buffer tank (ZB) and then discharged outside the pumping system. The device contains at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), it is connected to at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E) with a buffer tank (ZB) connected to a vacuum pump (PP). The vacuum tube connecting the plasma lamps (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) with the purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E)) is equipped with a dosing valve (V) for the gaseous admixture medium (MD) to plasma lamps (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), from which radiation (R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3) is directed to the processed material (OM).

A plasma cleaning apparatus includes a metal chamber, a gate assembly, a dielectric, and a high voltage electrode.

The metal chamber is connected to a vacuum tube connecting the process chamber and the vacuum pump, and is provided with a first opening. The gate assembly includes a gate support fixed to the metal chamber around the first opening and having a second opening, and a gate coupled to the gate support and having a first position closing the second opening and a second position opening the second opening switchable with each other. The dielectric is coupled to the outside of the gate support around the second opening, and the high voltage electrode is positioned on an outer surface of the dielectric.

A method is provided for cleaning a pumping line having a plurality of inline plasma sources coupled thereto. The method includes supplying a cleaning gas to the pumping line from a wafer processing chamber connected to the pumping line. The method also includes generating a localized plasma at one or more of the plurality of inline plasma sources using the cleaning gas flowing in the pumping line. Each localized plasma is adapted to clean at least a portion of the pumping line. The method further includes determining one or more impedances of the localized plasma at the one or more inline plasma sources and monitoring the one or more impendences to detect an endpoint of the cleaning.