US 12,330,102 B2
Filter for a plasma plume
Jan Matthijn Dekkers, Aadorp (NL); Kristiaan Hendrikus Aloysius Bohm, Deventer (NL); Willem Cornelis Lambert Hopman, Deventer (NL); Jeroen Aaldert Heuver, Enschede (NL); and Jan Arnaud Janssens, Schalkhaar (NL)
Assigned to LAM RESEARH CORPORATION, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/298,853.
Application 18/298,853 is a continuation of application No. 17/178,638, filed on Feb. 18, 2021, granted, now 11,628,389.
Claims priority of application No. 20158312 (EP), filed on Feb. 19, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0241535 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B01D 45/14 (2006.01); C23C 14/28 (2006.01); B01D 46/00 (2022.01); B01D 46/42 (2006.01); C23C 14/54 (2006.01); C23C 14/56 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01)
CPC B01D 45/14 (2013.01) [C23C 14/28 (2013.01); B01D 46/00 (2013.01); B01D 46/4227 (2013.01); C23C 14/54 (2013.01); C23C 14/564 (2013.01); H01J 37/32871 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A filter for filtering particles from a plasma plume, the filter comprising:
a housing comprising
a housing wall,
two pass-through openings arranged in the housing wall to form a pass-through channel for passing at least part of the plasma plume through the housing, which pass-through channel extends from one side of the housing to an opposite side of the housing, and
a drain opening arranged in a border on a radial outside of the housing wall;
at least one primary blade arranged within the housing at a distance from and rotatable around a rotation axis, wherein a path of the at least one primary blade intersects with the pass-through channel, wherein the at least one primary blade has a contact surface for contact with the plasma plume, and wherein the housing wall is configured to direct particles contacted by the contact surface of the at least one primary blade toward the drain opening; and
a drain channel connected to the drain opening such that the drain channel extends from the housing.