Abstract: A valve includes a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet; a valve member located within the housing and being moveable between different positions for controlling, in use, the flow of a fluid from an inlet to an outlet of the valve; wherein the valve further includes at least two spaced-apart valve seats in which the valve member is seated so as to form a cavity bounded by the valve seats, an exterior surface of the valve member and an interior surface of the housing; a first conduit extending between the exterior of the housing and the cavity; and a second conduit extending between the cavity and a bore of the valve member, through which conduits, in use, a purge gas can be introduced into the cavity and bore.

Abstract: A system comprising a pumping system configured to pump respective exhaust gases from each of a plurality of chemical etching process chambers and to combine the exhaust gases to provide a combined exhaust gas, and a noble gas recovery system configured to process the combined exhaust gas to remove one or more noble gases therefrom.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a burner element for an abatement apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises: injection moulding a charge comprising metal particles and a flow compound into a mould defining the burner element to produce a moulded burner element; and sintering the moulded burner element. In this way, injection moulding is used to produce the burner element, which provides far more flexibility regarding the design and properties of the burner element and avoids the necessity of incorporating a perforated support into the burner element. This allows burner elements of more intricate design to be produced, as well as burner elements which are thinner than those produced using existing techniques, which increases the volume of a combustion chamber defined by that burner element for any external burner element size, which in turn increases the amount of effluent gas that can be treated for any burner size.

Abstract: A valve includes a housing with at least one inlet and at least one outlet; a valve member located within the housing and being moveable between different positions for controlling, in use, the flow of a fluid from an inlet to an outlet of the valve; wherein the valve further includes at least two spaced-apart valve seats in which the valve member is seated so as to form a cavity bounded by the valve seats, an exterior surface of the valve member and an interior surface of the housing; a first conduit extending between the exterior of the housing and the cavity; and a second conduit extending between the cavity and a bore of the valve member, through which conduits, in use, a purge gas can be introduced into the cavity and bore.

Abstract: A method of optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus configured to treat an effluent stream from a processing tool and an abatement apparatus are disclosed. The method of optimising operating conditions in an abatement apparatus configured to treat an effluent stream containing PFC from a processing tool comprise: changing an operating parameter which controls an operating condition of the abatement apparatus; determining a change in a PFC concentration present in an exhaust stream of the abatement apparatus; and determining whether to retain the operating parameter based on the change in the PFC concentration. In this way, the concentration of PFC present in the exhaust can be used to determine whether the abatement apparatus is operating under the correct operating conditions or not.

Abstract: A pumping line arrangement includes a chamber connecting line which is fluidly connectable to a process chamber that forms part of a semiconductor fabrication tool. The pumping line arrangement also includes a valve module which is fluidly connected to the chamber connecting line. The valve module splits the chamber connecting line into respective first and second pumping lines. The first pumping line is intended to carry a first process flow and the second pumping line is intended to carry a second process flow which is incompatible with the first process flow. At least one of the first pumping line or the second pumping line includes fluidly connected therewithin a pre-abatement module that is configured to remove one or more incompatible constituents from the process flow intended to be carried by the other pumping line.

Abstract: An inlet assembly for an abatement apparatus includes an inlet nozzle defining a non-circular inlet aperture coupleable with an inlet conduit providing an effluent gas stream for treatment by the abatement apparatus, at least one outlet aperture and a nozzle bore extending along a longitudinal axis between the non-circular inlet aperture and the outlet aperture for conveying the effluent gas stream from the non-circular inlet aperture to the outlet aperture for delivery to a treatment chamber of the abatement apparatus, the nozzle bore defining an inlet portion extending from the non-circular inlet aperture, a flow-dividing structure positioned downstream of the inlet portion and configured to separate the effluent gas stream into at least a pair of effluent gas streams and an outlet portion extending to the outlet aperture and configured to convey the pair of effluent gas streams to the treatment chamber of the abatement apparatus.

Abstract: A system comprising a pumping system configured to pump respective exhaust gases from each of a plurality of chemical etching process chambers and to combine the exhaust gases to provide a combined exhaust gas, and a noble gas recovery system configured to process the combined exhaust gas to remove one or more noble gases therefrom.

Abstract: An abatement method is disclosed. The method comprises: supplying a combustion chamber of an abatement apparatus with an effluent stream containing a perfluoro compound, together with combustion reagents and a diluent; heating a combustion zone of said combustion chamber by reacting said combustion reagents to perform abatement of said perfluoro compound to stable by-products, said diluent being selected to remain inert during said abatement. In this way, the perfluoro or other compound is abated in the combustion chamber during the combustion of the combustion reagents, but without creating undesirable compounds such as, for example, NOx or other compounds.

Abstract: A head assembly for a radiant burner, an inlet assembly and a method are disclosed. The head assembly is for a radiant burner. The head assembly may include a housing defining a plurality of identical housing apertures extending therethrough, an insulator received by the housing and defining a corresponding plurality of identical, complimentarily-located insulator apertures extending therethrough, and at least one inlet assembly configured to be received by one of the identical housing apertures. Each inlet assembly may include a housing portion configured to be received by the one of the identical housing apertures, and an insulator portion configured to fill the complimentarily-located insulator aperture. In this way, a head assembly is provided which has a number of apertures, any of which may receive an inlet assembly.

Abstract: A radiant burner for treating an effluent gas stream from a manufacturing processing tool includes a plurality of treatment chambers, each treatment chamber having an effluent stream inlet for supplying a respective portion of the effluent gas stream to that treatment chamber for treatment therewithin. In this way, multiple treatment chambers may be provided, each of which treats part of the effluent stream. Accordingly, the number of treatment chambers can be selected to match the flow rate of the effluent gas stream from any particular processing tool. This provides an architecture which is reliably scalable to suit the needs of any effluent gas stream flow rate.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a component of an abatement apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises: meshing a 3D model representation of a component defining a reaction chamber of an abatement apparatus based on specified component characteristics to define an optimised finite element representation of the component; and fabricating the optimised finite element representation. In this way, a 3D model of a component of an abatement apparatus can be generated from which its performance can be modelled. Particular characteristics of the component may be defined which affect the operation of the abatement apparatus. Those characteristics may then be used to generate the optimized finite element representation of the component which has those characteristics using meshing (it will be appreciated that meshing is the operation of representing a geometric object as a set of finite elements).

Abstract: A radiant burner for treating an effluent gas stream from a manufacturing processing tool includes: a porous sleeve at least partially defining a treatment chamber and through which treatment materials pass for introduction into the treatment chamber; and an electrical energy device coupled with the porous sleeve and operable to provide electrical energy to heat the porous sleeve which heats the treatment materials as they pass through the porous sleeve into the treatment chamber. In this way, electrical energy, rather than combustion, is used to raise the temperature within the treatment chamber in order to treat the effluent gas stream.

Abstract: Venturi Scrubbers are used to separate particulate from a large range of fluids. Many provide additional liquid and/or gas to drive the fluid and aid in the removal of particulate. The present invention provides a liquid ring pump through which the fluid to be treated is first passed and then exhausted, with additional work fluid to a Venturi scrubber such that the particulate can be separated from the exhaust fluid.

Abstract: Liquid ring pumps are used to pump a variety of fluid types. Corrosive fluids are easily handled by the work fluid but can cause corrosion of pumping mechanisms. The present invention provides a magnetically driven liquid ring pump with corrosion resistant pumping mechanisms which achieves a longer time between service intervals.

Abstract: A pumping line arrangement includes a chamber connecting line which is fluidly connectable to a process chamber that forms part of a semiconductor fabrication tool. The pumping line arrangement also includes a valve module which is fluidly connected to the chamber connecting line. The valve module splits the chamber connecting line into respective first and second pumping lines. The first pumping line is intended to carry a first process flow and the second pumping line is intended to carry a second process flow which is incompatible with the first process flow. At least one of the first pumping line or the second pumping line includes fluidly connected therewithin a pre-abatement module that is configured to remove one or more incompatible constituents from the process flow intended to be carried by the other pumping line.

Abstract: Dry pumps are used to pump a variety of gas mixtures from the semiconductor industry. The present invention provides a liquid ring pump located between the dry pump and an abatement device to remove soluble corrosive materials prior to the exhaust gases entry to the abatement device, the work fluid exhausted from the liquid ring pump being separated from the gas prior to entry to the abatement device.

Abstract: An inlet assembly for a burner includes an inlet nozzle defining an inlet aperture coupleable with an inlet conduit providing an effluent gas stream for treatment by the burner, a non-circular outlet aperture, and a nozzle bore extending along a longitudinal axis between the inlet aperture and the outlet aperture for conveying the effluent gas stream from the inlet aperture to the outlet aperture for delivery to the combustion chamber of the burner.

Abstract: A separator apparatus and method are disclosed. The separator apparatus comprises: an inlet operable to receive an effluent stream comprising a fluid and particles; a centrifugal separator comprising a radial fan and a centrifugal particle separator operable to separate at least some of the particles from the fluid; a fluid outlet for providing the fluid; and a particle outlet for providing the particles separated from the fluid. In this way, particles may be removed effectively from the fluid in the effluent stream without the need for an inconvenient electrostatic precipitator or other large particle separator. Instead, the apparatus provides for improved particle capture and removal within a smaller footprint. This provides for a more efficient and compact device.

Abstract: A vacuum system pipe coupling includes a first coupling member and a second coupling member. The vacuum system pipe coupling has a seal system that is to be positioned to seal between the first and second coupling members and a securing system to releasably secure the first coupling member to the second coupling member. The seal system has an inner seal element and an outer seal element spaced from the inner seal element. The first coupling member is provided with a flow passage configured to conduct a pressurized gas to a space between the inner and outer seal elements to shield the outer seal element from fluid flowing through the pipe coupling in the event of failure of the inner seal element.