US 12,406,867 B2
Split valve air curtain
Jia-Wei Xu, Taichung (TW); Yin-Bin Tseng, Hsinchu (TW); Kai-Shiung Hsu, Hsinchu (TW); and Chun-Sheng Wu, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jun. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/836,612.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/277,037, filed on Nov. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0142009 A1, May 11, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); C23C 16/44 (2006.01); C23C 16/54 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67167 (2013.01) [C23C 16/4401 (2013.01); C23C 16/54 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a wafer station;
a load lock adjoining the wafer station, the load lock configured to alternate between atmospheric pressure and vacuum;
a buffer chamber adjoining the load lock;
a vacuum chamber adjoining the buffer chamber and comprising a showerhead and a slit valve, the vacuum chamber configured to expose a wafer to gas phase reactants from the showerhead; and
a dual air curtain between the slit valve and the showerhead and configured to flow a plurality of gases.