Abstract: In an apparatus and a method for cleaning semiconductor wafers, an exhaust chamber having a sub-outlet slows down the flow of frozen micro-particles and thus prevents rebounding of the particles toward the wafer. Therefore, dust or the like is kept away from a cleaned semiconductor wafer so that the semiconductor wafers are cleaned more thoroughly.

Abstract: A cleaning device for semiconductor wafers includes a cleaning vessel, a frozen particle supply unit, a jet nozzle for ejecting the frozen particles toward the semiconductor wafer supported within the cleaning vessel, an exhaust duct coupled to the cleaning vessel, and an exhaust blower. First and second exhausts guide to the exhaust duct frozen particles and contaminants from within the cleaning vessel near the wafer and near the walls of the vessel, respectively. The first exhaust includes a first exhaust guide pipe whose upper and lower ends open to an interior of the cleaning vessel near the wafer and to the exhaust duct, respectively. The second exhaust may include a tapered exhaust guide pipe surrounding the first exhaust guide pipe or a plurality of exhaust guide pipes disposed circumferentially uniformly around the first exhaust guide pipe.

Abstract: A method in which a liquid is sprayed through a nozzle to form minute droplets of substantially uniform size. These uniform droplets are sprayed into and frozen by a refrigeration medium, such as liquid nitrogen, to form uniform diameter frozen particles. The frozen particles are ejected onto the surface of a substrate used in a liquid crystal display device to orient the liquid crystal material applied to the surface.

Abstract: A cleaning method and a gettering method for semiconductor wafers comprises blasting frozen particles at the surface of a semiconductor wafer. A processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer comprises means for forming ultrafine frozen particles and means for blasting the frozen particles at the surface of a semiconductor wafer to perform either the gettering or the cleaning of the semiconductor wafer. In one form of the invention, the frozen particles are formed by spraying a mist of water into a chamber partially filled with liquid nitrogen, which freezes the mist to form ice particles. In another form of the invention, the frozen particles are formed by spraying a mist of water into a chamber containing cold nitrogen gas, which freezes the mist to form ice particles.

Abstract: A cleaning method and a gettering method for semiconductor wafers comprises blasting frozen particles at the surface of a semiconductor wafer. A processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer comprises means for forming ultrafine frozen particles and means for blasting the frozen particles at the surface of a semiconductor wafer to perform either the gettering or the cleaning of the semiconductor wafer. In one form of the invention, the frozen particles are formed by spraying a mist of water into a chamber partially filled with liquid nitrogen, which freezes the mist to form ice particles. In another form of the invention, the frozen particles are formed by spraying a mist of water into a chamber containing cold nitrogen gas, which freezes the mist to form ice particles.

Abstract: A method for the production of microfine frozen particles comprises filling a vessel with a cold gas which may be a cooled gas or mixed gas obtainable by mechanical refrigeration of a refrigerant gas, air, or the like, atomizing a material to be frozen, such as water, into the cold gas so that the atomized particles become frozen by heat exchange with the cold gas, and collecting the fine frozen particles thus produced.

Abstract: A method of producing microfine frozen particles from water, liquid drugs, juices, etc. comprises the steps of atomizing a mixture of a liquid with a gas and directing the mixture toward a body of a refrigerant liquid whose surface is stirred by application of kinetic energy to form ripples. The refrigerant liquid being liquid nitrogen, liquid air, a cooled organic solvent or the like, so that the atomized liquid undergoes heat exchange with the refrigerant liquid to form fine frozen particles. An apparatus for practicing the method, comprises a vessel for containing the refrigerant liquid, apparatus for forming ripples at the surface of the refrigerant liquid by injecting a gas, or by applying vibrations to the vessel or the refrigerant liquid, an atomizer functioning as a mixer and atomizer for a liquid and a gas, and an apparatus for collecting the microfine frozen particles from the refrigerant liquid.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for vacuum sealing a vacuum container assembly (A) such as a vacuum bottle having an inner container (1b) and an outer container (1a). The vacuum container assembly (A) is heat treated in one location in a vacuum chamber (21) of a vacuum furnace (11) and then moved to a different location in the chamber. At the second location, a sealing plate (4) having a tapered rim (25) is installed into a complementarily tapered guide (2a) at the edge of an evacuation hole (2) in the outer chamber (1a) by a sealing plate fitting device (14). The vacuum container assembly (A) is moved to a third location in the vacuum chamber (21) where the sealing plate (4) is welded to the outer container (1a) by a laser beam (C) which passes into the vacuum chamber (21) from a laser welding device (15) situated outside the vacuum furnace (11) through a beam-transparent window (20) in the wall of the vacuum furnace (11).

Abstract: A system for purifying gas in which one or more main adsorbers containing a gas-adsorbent comprising a molecular sieve carbon (MSC) or the like is connectable in series to a supplementary adsorber containing a substantially smaller amount of the gas-adsorbent in the range of from 5 to 50% of the adsorbent contained in the main gas-adsorbers. The main gas-absorbers are connectable in parallel so that when the gas-adsorbent in one of the main absorbers is being regenerated, and vice versa, the other main gas-adsorber can function independently to adsorb gas or can be connected in series with said supplementary gas-adsorber so that the purification of gas can be continuously effected while one or the other of the main gas adsorbers is being regenerated.

Abstract: A method of evacuating and sealing the vacuum chamber of a stainless steel vacuum bottle includes the steps of piercing the outer bottle with only very small openings into the vacuum chamber and closing the openings by means of an electron-beam welder after the bottle is heated and the vacuum chamber evacuated.

Abstract: A method of silver plating stainless steel vacuum bottle surfaces includes the steps of thermally treating the surfaces to be coated at a temperature of at least 200.degree. C. and then using an electroless plating technique to silver plate the thermally treated surfaces. The thermal treatment can be as low as 200.degree. C. if it occurs in an atmosphere of at least 5% hydrogen gas. If the thermal treatment occurs in a vacuum, however, the temperature must be at least 700.degree. C.