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Before Foamtec Logo After
BEFORE AFTER
Vacuum Chamber PM Technique
VAT Series 65 Pendulum Valve In-Place
OBJECTIVE:

TO EFFECTIVELY PM THE VAT SERIES 65 PENDULUM VALVE IN A TIMELY MANNER, WHILE MOUNTED IN PLACE, MINIMIZING EQUIPMENT DOWN TIME AND IMPROVING TOOL PERFORMANCE
 
Vacuum Chamber: LAM 9600 METAL ETCH, OR EQUIVALENT
Vacuum Chamber Process Residue: PROCESS INDUCED RESIDUE
Vacuum Chamber Components: VAT SERIES 65 PENDULUM VALVE
Old Procedure: Currently NOT ABLE to effectively clean in place
New Procedure: Foamtec International VAT Valve PM Kit, liter DI water and IPA                         
Vacuum Chamber Products:
VAT Valve PM Kit
PM Kit P/N: HT4500-LAM23-2
  • (2) FT831 handles w/inserts for head
  • (2) Rounded heads for handle w/hook
  • (2) 280D Grit ScrubPAD sets w/loop to attach to head
  • (2) UltraSOLV® Foam sets w/loop to attach to head
  • (2) MiraWIPE® sets w/loop to attach to head
  • (2) 280D Grit ScrubTIP® w/lollipop head to attach to handle
  • (1) HT1712-10  12" UltraSOLV® Swabs
  • (1) HT1790-5  5.5” UltraSOLV® Swab with angle
  • (2) HT4528D-10-1  280 Grit Diamond ScrubPAD
  • (1) HT4536D-10-1  360 Grit Diamond ScrubPAD
  • (1) HT4580D-10-1  800 Grit Diamond ScrubPAD
  • (1) HT4754 UltraSOLV® Sponge
  • (1) PT4369 FirmWIPE® Disk
  • (1) HT5790S-25 MiraWIPE®
 
LAM 9600 Metal ETCH VAT Valve PM Procedure:
View “How to” instructional videos on http://foamtecintlwcc.com/video/
Step 1: Using proper procedures and safety guidelines properly shutdown and vent entire Metal ETCH Chamber
Step 2: Reduce ETCH chamber heaters to recommended settings
 
Step 3: Must perform Foamtec International’s LAM Metal ETCH Chamber Cleaning Technique to ensure the Metal ETCH Chamber does not contaminate the VAT valve
 
Step 4: Ensure to leave pendulum valve stepper motor attached to valve body for the initial portion of PM procedure (See Fig 1)
Pendulum valve stepper
Step 5: Disassemble and remove all other VAT valve assemblies
 
Step 6:

Actuate the pendulum valve stepper motor and retract the sealing ring pins to provide room for cleaning the back portion of the VAT valve (See Fig 2 & 3)
 
Extended pin. Retracted pin.
Step 7: In order to protect turbo pump during the VAT valve PM, take the PT4369 FirmWIPE® Disk and properly place over pump (See Fig 4 & 5)
 
FirmWIPE put in place. FirmWIPE protecting pump.
 
Step 8: Take FT831 handle and attach one of the rounded heads with hook to the end of the handle and attach a set of UltraSOLV® Foam Wipes to the head (See Fig 6 & 7)
 
Rounded head and handle. Foam wipes attached to head.
 
Step 9: In a small bucket of DI water moisten the foam wipes attached to the handle head and ring-out excess water (See Fig 8).  Then proceed to perform a pre-wipe on the inner portions of the VAT valve (See Fig 9)
Dampen foam wipe. Pre-wipe inner portion of VAT valve.
 
Step 10: Take the second FT831 handle and attach another circular head and attach a set of 280 Grit Diamond ScrubPADs to the circular head (See Fig 10)
ScrubPAD on second head
Step 11: Dampen the 280 Grit Diamond ScrubPAD with DI water and begin to scrub the inside of the VAT valve, concentrating on the heavy buildup deep in the back of the valve (See fig 11 & 12)
Scrubbing inside of VAT
Step 12: Alternate between using both handles; scrubbing the deposition with the ScrubPAD while wiping the loose deposition off with the UltraSOLV® Foam Wipe
 
Step 13: Continue to moisten the ScrubPAD and UltraSOLV® Foam Wipes with DI water, as necessary, to help scrub and remove the deposition from the VAT valve
 
Step 14: Dampen the HT4754 UltraSOLV® Sponge in DI water and ring-out excess water from sponge (see Fig 13)
Dampen Sponge
Step 15: Remove deposition buildup from ScrubPAD by pulling ScrubPAD across dampened UltraSOLV® Sponge, as necessary (See Fig 14 & 15)             
 
Unloading ScrubPAD onto Sponge
 
Step 16: When have sufficiently cleaned the deep areas within the VAT valve, remove the circular head with the 280 Grit Diamond ScrubPAD and insert the 280 Grit Diamond ScrubTIP® on the FT831 handle (See Fig 16 & 17)
 
Handle and ScrubTIP
 
Step 17: Finish scrubbing the rest of the VAT valve using the 280 Grit Diamond ScrubTIP®, reaching the tight areas throughout the valve, using the same technique described above (See Fig 18)
 
Scrubbing tight areas
 
NOTE: REMEMBER TO USE THE HANDLE WITH THE UltraSOLV® FOAM WIPES TO REMOVE DEPOSITION FROM THE VAT VALVE, AS NECESSARY
 
Step 18: When Diamond ScrubPAD and ScrubTIP® become worn, replace with second set of ScrubPAD and ScrubTIP® within PM Kit
 
Step 19: Dampen a HT4528D ScrubPAD with DI water and proceed to scrub all areas throughout VAT valve that can be reached by hand (See Fig 19).  If design permits, reach through the transition manifold by hand to scrub some of the remaining areas in the back of the VAT valve (See Fig 20)
 
Scrubbing by hand. Reaching back of VAT valve.
 
NOTE: REMEMBER TO UNLOAD ALL SCRUBPADS AS NECESSARY WITH HT4754 UltraSOLV® SPONGE
IMPORTANT
DO NOT SCRUB THE TURBO PUMP SEAL UNLESS PLANNING TO REMOVE AND REPLACE TURBO PUMP.  JUST WIPE WITH IPA & MIRAWIPES® DURING FINAL WIPE PORTION OF PROCEDURE (SEE FIG 21)
Turbo pump seal
 
Step 20: Take moistened HT4754 UltraSOLV® Sponge and wipe out VAT valve as necessary to remove deposition during scrub process
 
Step 21: Using proper procedures and safety guidelines, disassemble and remove pendulum valve stepper motor
 
Step 22: With pendulum valve stepper motor removed, reach in with Diamond ScrubPAD to scrub area next to where the stepper motor was attached and wipe with UltraSOLV® Sponge (See Fig 22)
Scrubbing area next to stepper motor
Step 23: Using same technique as described above, moisten HT4536D 360 Grit Diamond ScrubPAD and proceed to scrub the outer sealing surface of VAT valve (See Fig 23)
ScrubPAD removing deposition
Step 24: BE SURE NOT TO WIPE THE FACE OF THE SHOWER HEADS WITH THE HT5790S MiraWIPES®
Step 25: Replace small bucket of DI water with fresh DI water and proceed to rinse out HT4754 UltraSOLV® Sponge to prep the VAT valve for Final IPA Wipe Procedure
Step 26: Use fresh DI water moisten HT4754 UltraSOLV® Sponge and proceed to wipe down as much of the VAT valve as can be reached.  Continue to rinse out sponge as necessary
REPLACING PENDULUM VALVE STEPPER MOTOR:
Step 27: Take HT1790 UltraSOLV® Swabs and dampen with IPA.  Proceed to wipe the stepper motor seals free of vacuum grease (See Fig 24)
Swab cleaning seals
Step 28: Apply IPA to MiraWIPE® and effectively wipe out stepper motor seals (See Fig 25)
MiraWIPE wiping seals
Step 29: Take HT1712-10, 12” UltraSOLV® Swab and dampen with IPA and proceed to wipe guide pins as much as possible (See Fig 26)
Swabs wiping guide pins
Step 30: Using proper procedures and guidelines to replace pendulum valve stepper motor back into VAT 65 Pendulum Valve
Step 31: Actuate pendulum valve stepper motor to retract guide pins (See Fig 27)
Retracted guide pins

!!!! IMPORTANT !!!!

REACH INTO VAT VALVE AND REMOVE PT4369 FirmWIPE® DISK THAT WAS PUT INTO PLACE TO PROTECT THE TURBO PUMP   (SEE FIG 28)
FirmWIPE pulled out
FINAL WIPE PROCEDURE:
IMPORTANT NOTE
THE USE OF HT5790S MiraWIPES® DURING THE FINAL WIPE PORTION OF THE PROCEDURE IS A CRITICAL STEP TO EFFECTIVELY REMOVE PARTICLE DEFECTS
 
Figure below shows how much more deposition the Foamtec International MiraWIPE® can remove from a critical surface compared to the standard fab wiper, making the MiraWIPE® FINAL WIPE PROCEDURE the most CRITICAL STEP of the PM procedure (See Fig 29a & 29b)
MiraWIPES are more effective
Fig 29a: Current fab wiper after completely wiping chamber
Fig 29b: Particles picked up using HT5790S MiraWIPES® after completely wiping with current fab wiper
Red Arrow
Red Arrow
 
MiraWIPES® are the KEY STEP for DEFECT REDUCTION and IMPROVED TOOL RECOVERY

This important step must be effectively followed in order to achieve the maximum efficiency of tool recovery and performance.  Continue to wipe-down all of the affected PM areas within the VAT valve, repeating until MiraWIPES® no longer remove deposition

Ensure to wipe down all parts, o-rings and o-ring grooves that are placed back into the VAT valve using additional IPA dampened HT5790S MiraWIPES®
Step 32: Remove UltraSOLV® Foam Wipes from circular head attached to FT831 Handle and replace with MiraWIPES®
 
Step 33: Dampen MiraWIPES® attached to FT831 handle with IPA (See Fig 30)
 
MiraWIPE with handle and IPA
 
Step 34: Using FT831 handle w/MiraWIPES®, proceed to reach into the VAT valve and wipe out as much of the VAT valve as possible.  Replace the set of MiraWIPES® attached to the handle with a clean set of MiraWIPES® as they become excessively dirty
 
Step 35: Take HT5790S MiraWIPE®, fold into quarters and dampen with IPA.  Reach into the transition manifold and wipe out as much of the VAT valve as possible.  Concentrate on tight areas that the VAT valve handle may not be able to effectively reach.  Also concentrate on effectively wiping the top edges of turbo pump (See Fig 31 & 32)
 
MiraWIPES wiping VAT valve
 
Step 36: Dampen the HT1712 UltraSOLV® Swabs with IPA and wipe all edges and tight corners throughout VAT valve.  Replace UltraSOLV® Swab as necessary and repeat process
 
Step 37: Continue to wipe out VAT valve by wrapping a clean HT5790S MiraWIPE® around circular head at the end of the FT831 handle.  Then moisten w/IPA and reach into VAT valve to continue wiping all internal structures of VAT valve
 
Step 38: Dampen HT5790S MiraWIPE® and effectively wipe down all sealing surfaces within the VAT valve
 
NOTE: The entire MiraWIPE® Final Wipe Procedure steps are the most important steps in the VAT Valve PM Procedure.  It is ESSENTIAL to perform these steps with the MiraWIPES®, as the MiraWIPES® are the key element to IMPROVE TOOL RECOVERY and REDUCE PARTICLES
 

FINAL STEPS:
 
Step 39: Using remaining products, such as HT4528D & HT4536D ScrubPADS, effectively clean all the remaining parts to be placed back into the VAT valve (valve bonnet, pendulum valve, sealing ring…)
 
Step 40: Ensure to take an HT5790S MiraWIPE® and dampen w/IPA and wipe down all parts being placed back into VAT valve
 
Step 41: Take an HT5790S MiraWIPE® and wipe down Metal ETCH Chamber ENTIRELY prior to closing and placing under hi-vac
 

TOOL RECOVERY:
 
Step 42: Follow proper tool recovery guidelines as outlined by LAM Research Corporation