Patent ID: 8851113

Claim:
A gas panel for supplying selective ones of a plurality of process gases to a set of process modules having at least two process modules, comprising: a plurality of mass flow controllers, each of said plurality of mass flow controllers having an MFC input port and an MFC output port, wherein MFC input ports of said plurality of mass flow controllers are coupled to receive said first plurality of process gases; a plurality of mixing valves, each of said plurality of mixing valves having an input port and a first output port and a second output port, wherein input ports of said plurality of mixing valves are in gaseous communication with MFC output ports of said plurality of mass flow controllers; a first mixing manifold having a plurality of first mixing manifold input ports and at least one first mixing manifold output port for outputting gas from said first mixing manifold to a first process module of said at least two process modules, wherein first output ports of said plurality of mixing valves are in gaseous communication with said first mixing manifold input ports; and a second mixing manifold having a plurality of second mixing manifold input ports and at least one second mixing manifold output port for outputting gas from said second mixing manifold to a second process module of said at least two process modules, wherein second output ports of said plurality of mixing valves are in gaseous communication with said second mixing manifold input ports, wherein said first mixing manifold and said second manifold are disposed under said plurality of mixing valves thereby reducing a volume of said gas panel, wherein said first mixing manifold and said second mixing manifold are oriented along a first direction such that said plurality of first mixing manifold input ports and said plurality of second mixing manifold input ports are parallel to said first direction, a first one of said plurality of first mixing manifold input ports coupled with a first output port of a first one of said plurality of mixing valves, a second one of said plurality of second mixing manifold input ports coupled with a second output port of said first one of said plurality of mixing valves, wherein said first output port of said first one of said plurality of mixing valves, said second output port of said first one of said plurality of mixing valves, and an input port of said first one of said plurality of mixing valves are lined up along a second direction that is other than orthogonal or parallel with said first direction.