Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6056024?dq=6650327
Timestamp: 2014-12-21 16:59:10
Document Index: 103960772

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n7', 'art.\n17', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 300']

Patent US6056024 - Bulk chemical delivery system - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA bulk chemical delivery system having: a bulk chemical canister that is connected to at least one manifold box, wherein each manifold box has at least two output lines, wherein each output line connects to a secondary canister. The bulk chemical canister may have a capacity of 200 liters....http://www.google.com/patents/US6056024?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6056024 - Bulk chemical delivery systemAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6056024 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/359,985Publication dateMay 2, 2000Filing dateJul 23, 1999Priority dateApr 28, 1993Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS5950693Publication number09359985, 359985, US 6056024 A, US 6056024A, US-A-6056024, US6056024 A, US6056024AInventorsCraig M. Noah, John N. Gregg, Robert M. Jackson, Craig EsserOriginal AssigneeAdvanced Delivery & Chemical Systems, Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (37), Non-Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (14), Classifications (54), Legal Events (6) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetBulk chemical delivery systemUS 6056024 AAbstract A bulk chemical delivery system having: a bulk chemical canister that is connected to at least one manifold box, wherein each manifold box has at least two output lines, wherein each output line connects to a secondary canister. The bulk chemical canister may have a capacity of 200 liters.
What is claimed is: 1. A bulk chemical delivery system, comprising: a bulk chemical canister that is connected to a first supply valve manifold connected to at least one manifold box, wherein each manifold box has at least two output lines, wherein at least one output line connects to at least one secondary canister, wherein each manifold box includes at least two valves, the output lines and the valves of each manifold box are independently connected to each other, wherein the system contains chemical that is tetraethylorthosilicate, triethylphosphate, trimethyl phosphite, trimethyl borate, titanium tetrachloride, or a tantalum compound, wherein the chemical is 99.9999% or more free of trace metals.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein each secondary canister connects to a line adapted to supply chemical to a process tool.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein each secondary canister is housed in a cabinet, and wherein two or more secondary canisters may optionally be housed in a second cabinet.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the bulk canister is housed in a transportation and containment cart.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one secondary canister is connected to a process tool.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the chemical is tetraethylorthosilicate.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second bulk canister that provides chemical to the at least one valve manifold box when the first bulk chemical canister is not supplying chemical.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the bulk canister and first supply manifold are housed in a cabinet.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the bulk canister is housed within a transportation and containment cart that is housed within a cabinet.
12. A bulk chemical supply system, comprising:a cabinet that houses a bulk chemical canister that is connected to a first supply valve manifold; at least one manifold box connected to the first supply manifold, wherein the at least one manifold box includes at least two output lines and wherein one of the at least two output lines is connected to at least one secondary canister that is connected to a second supply manifold, and that is housed in a secondary cabinet, wherein each manifold box includes at least two valves, wherein the output lines and the valves of each manifold box are independently connected to each other, and wherein the system contains chemical that is tetraethylorthosilicate, triethylphosphate, trimethyl phosphite, trimethyl borate, titanium tetrachloride, or a tantalum compound, wherein the chemical is 99.9999% or more free of trace metals. 13. The system of claim 12 wherein each secondary canister connects to a line adapted to supply chemical to the process tool.
14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a programmable controller which controls the flow of chemical through the system.
15. The system of claim 12 wherein the bulk canister has a capacity of at least about 200 liters.
16. The system of claim 12 wherein the bulk canister is housed in a transportation cart.
17. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one secondary canister is connected to a process tool.
18. The system of claim 12 wherein the chemical is tetraethylorthosilicate.
19. A process useful for providing a chemical to a process tool that is used in the fabrication of electronic devices, comprising:supplying a chemical to a process tool from a secondary canister that is fed chemical from a valve manifold box having at least two output lines that are supplied by a bulk canister via a first supply valve manifold wherein each valve manifold box includes at least two valves, wherein the output lines and the valves of each manifold box are independently connected to each other, and wherein the chemical is tetraethylorthosilicate, triethylphosphate, trimethyl phosphite, trimethyl borate, titanium tetrachloride, or a tantalum compound, wherein the chemical is 99.999% or more free of trace metals. 20. The process of claim 19 wherein the bulk canister has a capacity of about 200 liters and wherein the secondary canister has a smaller capacity than the bulk canister.
21. The process of claim 19 wherein the chemical is tetraethylorthosilicate.
22. The process of claim 19 wherein a second bulk canister optionally provides chemical to the valve manifold box.
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/046,907 filed Mar. 24, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,693 which is a continuation-in-part of an application filed Jan. 26, 1998, Ser. No. 09/013,327, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/485,968, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,354, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/345,244, filed Nov. 28, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,002 which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/184,226, filed Jan. 19, 1994, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/54,597, filed Apr. 28, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,766; which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/893,913, filed Jul. 11, 1997; and also a provisional application of Ser. No. 60/052,219, filed on Jul. 11, 1997.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C illustrate a front, left and right views respectively of a representative valve manifold box which may be used in this invention.
Lines 106 lead from the manifold in cabinet 101 to one or more valve manifold boxes such as valve manifold boxes 110. Any number of valve manifold boxes 110 may be employed. In one embodiment, up to four boxes are used. Each box 110 may contain a manifold 111 such as depicted in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, discussed herein. The valve manifold boxes 110 serve to split a stream of chemical by a distribution manifold into multiple lines 112 that lead to either a process tool which uses the chemical or to secondary cabinets 120 and 125 which house one or more smaller canisters 121. Each cabinet may contain any desired number of canisters, and one or more canisters may contain a different chemical that may be supplied to a process tool through a separate distribution manifold. In FIG. 1, secondary cabinet 120 houses two smaller canisters 121 while secondary cabinet 125 houses one smaller canister 121. The precise configuration of the manifold in the valve manifold box is not critical in the practice of this invention so long as the function of providing a stream of chemical to the balance of the system and process tool is achieved. The configuration of the valves in the valve manifold box may be varied to allow for serviceability of the components downstream of the valve manifold box and to allow for independent purging and maintenance of individual lines. Optionally, the line from a manifold box 110 to a secondary cabinet 120 maybe disconnected and the system designed and programmed to switch over so that a refill canister 121 delivers make up chemical to another canister 121 with the other canister supplying chemical to the process tool. To facilitate change out of the canister 121 designated to primarily deliver chemical to the process tool, the manifold may be designed, and the controller programmed to enable the refill canister 121 to deliver chemical to the process tool. Typically, however, if either the refill or supply canister is being changed out or the like, the system is designed so that chemical from the manifold box 110 switches over to directly feed the process tool. Process tools may alternatively be fed directly from the valve manifold box in the absence of a secondary cabinet. Similarly, in addition to providing chemical to at least one manifold box, the bulk cabinet may also provide chemical directly to one or more process tools. The valve manifold box may include any number of output lines, and typically includes up to four output lines. In FIGS. 1 and 1A, four output lines are employed.
As shown in FIG. 3, movable cart (or "crate") 300 includes wheels (rollers) 310, attached to base 316, which may be of appropriate size and suitably durable depending on the size of the canister 301. The wheels 310 may include brakes, including a parking brake or deadman's brake. Cart 300 may include sleeves 312, as part of or attached to base 316, to receive forks of a forklift, for example. The cart 300 may include a drain line for facilitating removal of at least a portion, preferably the majority, of a liquid spill prior to removing a cart 300 from a cabinet 350. Cart 300 may include guide 314 which aligns with guide 364 in the cabinet 350 to facilitate alignment of the cart 300 as it is positioned into cabinet 350. The guide 314 may be a part of or attached to base 316, and may be secured to base 316 using conventional methods (e.g., using screws or bolts, or by welding). Alternatively, the guide 314 may be designed as a rail, for example, which is attached to the one or more sides of the cart 300, with complimentary guides attached to appropriate positions on the sides of the cabinet. In another alternative, the guides may be spring-loaded, ball bearing tracks which snap into position when the cart is in correct alignment, as would be readily apparent to one of skill in the art. Also attached to base 316 are four exterior walls 318. Typically, the base and sides are welded together or seamless sidewalls are used. The base may be angled, grooved, or the like toward the sensor 317. Similarly, the base may optionally include a low volume trough to collect small spills, thereby enhancing the ability of the sensor 317 to detect such small spills. Alignment guides 319 maybe employed to position the canister 301 in cart 300. The cart 300 may include an exhaust duct to provide ventilation for vapor which is denser than air. Handle 320 may be optionally secured to cart 300 to assist an operator in maneuvering cart 300. The top 330 of cart 300 may include an appropriate sized hole 334 to accommodate the top of canister 301. It is preferred that hole 334 be dimensioned so that top 330 snugly fits to assist in securing canister 301 within cart 300 during shipping and movement. Top 330 may optionally be perforated with holes 332. The holes 332 serve to allow a leak in the upper portion of canister 301 to drain into the lower portion of cart 300. Additionally, a removable part may be used which seals the fitting from exposure to the environment, which may be beneficial when the canister is being placed in a clean room for use. This would protect accumulation of dust and the like on and in the cart and canister. In addition, sensor 317 may be included to sense liquid spills. The sensor may be connected to a controller which may signal an operator or shut down the system in the case of a detected spill. It is currently recommended in the industry that the volume of a containment unit be at least 110% of the volume of canister 301. Accordingly, in one embodiment of this invention, the cart 300 is constructed such that it has a capacity of at least 110% of the internal volume of the canister 301 which cart 300 is designed to house.
Further modifications and alternative embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein shown and described are to be taken as presently preferred embodiments. Equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated and described herein, and certain features of the invention may be utilized independently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the invention
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