izer relies on the pressure drop between the
heated chamber and the process chamber. If
the material to be vaporized has a relatively
low vapor pressure, the system may not be
able to raise the vapor pressure sufficiently to
provide the requisite pressure drop flow rate
into an atmospheric chamber.
Materials with a very low vapor pressure
may not be appropriate for today’s thermal
or even some flash vaporizers. This limitation
may be overcome in the future with the development of high temperature MFCs capable of
operating in temperatures higher than current
MFCs can tolerate.
DAVID H. LEE IS PRODUC T MANAGER AT ADVANCED
ENERGY INDUSTRIES FOR
VAPOR DELIVERY SYSTEMS.
DAVID JOINED ADVANCED
ENERGY IN 2006, AFTER
SPENDING SEVEN YEARS
IN THE GLASS COATINGS
BUSINESS AT OPTERA,
INC. HIS RESPONSIBILITIES
AT AE INCLUDE MARKET
DEVELOPMENT AND
PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
MANAGEMENT FOR ADVANCED ENERGY’S VAPOR DELIVERY
S YS TEMS AND EXHAUST PRESSURE CON TROL SYSTEMS. DAVID
IS A GRADUATE OF BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, WHERE
HE RECEIVED HIS BACHELOR’S DEGREE AND MBA. HE CAN BE
REACHED AT DAVID. H.LEE@AEI.COM
References
1. Praxair Material Safety Data Sheet, June 2000,
Praxair reference P-6223. http://www.praxair.
com/praxair.nsf/AllContent/4FC8202EEA898
77985256A86008221AA/$File/p6223.pdf
2. Mallinckrodt Baker, Inc, May 2007, MSDS
Number P4083. http://www.jtbaker.com/
msds/englishhtml/ p4083.htm
Summary
Bubblers and flash vaporizers tend to compete in the same space in many regards, offering a wide variety of materials applicability.
Thermal vaporizers may not be appropriate to
some very low vapor pressure materials, but
tend to offer better flow stability and reduced
operator intervention.
The engineer should be careful to consider both process requirements and long
term maintenance and performance goals
when selecting a vapor delivery subsystem.
A thoughtful review of the precursor material characteristics, process requirements,
target maintenance periodicity, footprint,
and total cost of ownership should yield
a fairly clear picture of which subsystem is
best for a given application. G&I
Acknowledgements:
The authors would like to thank the following individuals for their input and guidance
in the creation of this review:
Akira Sasaki, Department Manager,
Advanced Energy Japan
Arun Nagarajan, Design Engineer,
Advanced Energy
Dax Widener, Design Engineer, Advanced
Energy
THOMAS KARLICEK IS DIREC TOR OF FLOW SYSTEMS
MARKETING AT ADVANCED ENERGY INDUSTRIES, INC. WHERE HE
HAS BEEN EMPLOYED SINCE 2004. MR. KARLICEK IS A VETERAN
OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY, HAVING HELD LEADERSHIP
POSITIONS AT COMPANIES LIKE TYLAN GENERAL (NOW PART OF
CELERITY), BOC EDWARDS,
HELIX TECHNOLOGY (NOW PAR T
OF BROOKS AUTOMATION),
AND MKS INSTRUMENTS.
TOM IS A GRADUATE OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,
IRVINE, WHERE HE RECEIVED
HIS DEGREE IN BIOLOGICAL
SCIENCES. HE CAN BE REACHED
AT TOM.KARLICEK@AEI.COM
www.gasesmag.com
