US 12,410,517 B2
Divertless gas-dosing
John Folden Stumpf, Portland, OR (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Appl. No. 17/920,578
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
PCT Filed Apr. 15, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/027555
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 21, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/216352, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 28, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/706,328, filed on Aug. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/015,243, filed on Apr. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0167550 A1, Jun. 1, 2023
Int. Cl. C23C 16/455 (2006.01); G01F 1/50 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 16/45557 (2013.01) [C23C 16/45561 (2013.01); G01F 1/50 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A divertless, gas-dosing system comprising:
a process gas inlet pneumatically coupled to an inlet valve;
a flow controller pneumatically coupled to the inlet valve;
a self-calibrating flow meter having a flow-control valve, the self-calibrating flow meter located downstream from the flow controller;
a line charge-volume (LCV) pneumatically coupled to be downstream of the inlet valve and the flow controller, the LCV being configured to receive an initial volume of a process gas;
a pressure sensor coupled to the LCV to determine a pressure level within the LCV; and
an outlet valve pneumatically coupled to be downstream of the LCV, the outlet valve configured to be coupled pneumatically to a process chamber on a downstream side of the outlet valve, with no divert gas path between the outlet valve and the process chamber, the flow controller being configured to control a flow of the process gas to the process chamber independently of the inlet valve and substantially to maintain the flow at a pre-determined set point when the outlet valve is opened, the divertless, gas-dosing system being time independent with regard to a magnitude of the initial volume of the process gas.