Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for controlling pressure, pumping a vacuum and providing abatement for a plurality of vacuum processing chambers. The system may be used in semiconductor manufacture. Multiple vacuum processing chambers are exhausted by turbo pumps into a common abatement chamber, which is maintained at sub-atmospheric pressure by a backing pump. Pressure in the processing chambers is independently controlled. The internal volume of the abatement device provides a buffer that reduces the effect of pressure changes in one processing chamber affecting pressure in the other chambers.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the integration of a TMP with the associated bypass line and valves so that a single sub-assembly is created. The housing of the TMP is significantly modified to accommodate the associated equipment necessary for constructing a high-vacuum system.

Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for evacuating a number of vacuum processing chambers containing incompatible gases. The gases are directed to a subatmospheric abatement chamber containing preconditioning devices. The gases are treated in the abatement chamber to render them compatible. The compatible gases are then drawn from the abatement chamber as a single stream through a backing pump.