[labnetwork] Cambridge/Ultratech/Veeco Savannah ALD - stop valve issues?

[James Mitchell]

Are you referring to the pulse valves or a different valve?
Our Fiji just started leaking yesterday but I believe it is the plasma tube.
If you are referring to the pulse valves, I run water pulses through the
manifold in between each run.
I run a 10 cycle loop of 1 second pulses to clean up the manifold.

Jim

On Wed, Mar 31, 2021 at 7:53 AM Hathaway, Malcolm R <
hathaway at cns.fas.harvard.edu> wrote:

> Hi Tim,
>
> Yes, this issue is endemic to these units, as all the deposition gases
> pass over the sealing surfaces of the valve under normal operating
> conditions.
>
> One solution is to maintain a stock of the appropriate (but expensive)
> Kalrez-type orings, and do a valve sealing-face cleanup at intervals.
> Eventually, however, you will find that deposition has encrusted the
> interior of the valve bellows, rendering it much less flexible than
> original equipment.
>
> I am happy to share with you via PM some plumbing "rearrangements" that we
> have instituted which seem to have helped this problem greatly.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Mac Hathaway
> Senior Process and Systems Engineer
> Harvard CNS
> ------------------------------
> *From:* labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> on behalf of Tim
> Gilheart <gilheart at rice.edu>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 30, 2021 6:13 PM
> *To:* Fab Network <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
> *Subject:* [labnetwork] Cambridge/Ultratech/Veeco Savannah ALD - stop
> valve issues?
>
> Greetings,
>
> I’m hoping that several teams on this list have relevant experience to
> share, since I know a number of you manage Savannah ALD tools.
>
> Our tool has presented with leakage issues through the stop valve twice in
> the past 6 months. We replaced the last valve at the end of Aug 2020, and
> have recently again experienced issues with failing to vent (due to the
> valve not closing completely and the vac pump still pulling on the chamber).
>
> We have a temporary workaround in place (an external manual valve on the
> pump line), but this leakage through the stop valve effects process
> outcomes and has proven costly to address, since valve replacement seems to
> be the recommended solution.
>
> Our tool typically runs Al2O3, HfO2, TiO2, and ZnO processes, sometimes
> ZrO2. Stop valve heating jacket is maintained at the recommended 150 C, and
> the heaters all seem to be working properly.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions about maintaining these stop valves for
> longer? Or, failing that, a referral for refurbishing them? I am willing to
> consider a solution that involves swapping out valves 1-2/year and sending
> them out for rebuild if that’s an option for a reasonable cost.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice you can share,
>
> --
> Tim Gilheart, Ph.D.
> Research Scientist - Nanofabrication Cleanroom Manager,
> Shared Equipment Authority (SEA), Rice University
> Cell: 832-341-5488 | Office: 713-348-3159 | gilheart at rice.edu
>
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-- 
*James Mitchell*
*Specialty Trades Technician*
*Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering*
*NCSU Nanofabrication Facility*
*MRC RM243A **Box 7911*
*2410 Campus Shore Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606*
*jtmitch5 at ncsu.edu* <jtmitch5 at ncsu.edu>
*Desk: 919-515-5394*
*Cell: 919-717-7325*
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