Ventilation gas management systems and processes

Abstract

A ventilation gas management system and process for an enclosure adapted to contain fluid supply vessel(s) and through which ventilation gas is flowed to provide safe operation in the event of leakage of fluid from a vessel. Ventilation gas flow is modulated to accommodate various hazard levels associated with the deployment and operation of such enclosure containing fluid supply vessel(s), e.g., a gas box or gas cabinet in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, thereby achieving reduction in ventilation gas requirements otherwise required for such deployment and operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of managing operation of exhaust flowed through a process unit, comprising monitoring at least one condition or operating variable of the process unit determinative of a risk or hazard level, and routing the exhaust to one of multiple alternative exhaust dispositions in response to the risk or hazard level determined from the monitored condition(s) or operating variable(s). 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the exhaust rate is modulated according to the risk or hazard level determined from the monitored condition(s) or operating variable(s). 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the process unit comprises an enclosure containing at least one fluid supply vessel adapted to supply fluid to a process, wherein the exhaust is flowed as ventilation gas through the enclosure. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring of a characteristic of the fluid supply vessel. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring of at least one condition in the enclosure. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring of fluid in the fluid supply vessel. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said monitoring comprises monitoring of fluid dispensed from the fluid supply vessel. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the risk or hazard level comprises risk or hazard level of fluid leakage from the vessel or flow circuitry associated with the vessel in the enclosure. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one condition or operating variable comprises a condition or operating variable selected from the group consisting of:
 fluid inventory in the fluid supply vessel;   fluid pressure in the fluid supply vessel;   fluid pressure in flow circuitry associated with the vessel in the enclosure;   strain in a wall of the fluid supply vessel;   weight of the fluid supply vessel containing the fluid;   one or more characteristic of an adsorbent contained in the fluid supply vessel as a fluid storage medium;   temperature of the fluid supply vessel;   temperature in the enclosure;   pressure in the enclosure;   cumulative volume of fluid dispensed from the fluid supply vessel;   duration of fluid dispensing from the fluid supply vessel;   flow rate of fluid dispensed from the fluid supply vessel;   open or closed character of and access structure of the enclosure;   one or more characteristic of the process to which fluid is supplied from the fluid supply vessel; and   one or more alarm conditions associated with any of the foregoing.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the fluid supply vessel contains adsorbent. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the adsorbent comprises carbon adsorbent. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the fluid supply vessel is internally pressure-regulated. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the fluid supply vessel contains fluid selected from the group consisting of: hydride gases; halide gases; gaseous organometallic compounds; and combinations of the foregoing. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the fluid supply vessel contains a semiconductor manufacturing fluid. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the enclosure comprises a gas box of an ion implanter. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the process unit comprises a tool in a semiconductor manufacturing process facility. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the multiple alternative exhaust dispositions comprise two or more of: flow of exhaust to general exhaust of the semiconductor manufacturing process facility; flow of exhaust to a scrubbing unit of the semiconductor manufacturing process facility; and recycle flow of exhaust in the semiconductor manufacturing process facility. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein routing the exhaust to one of multiple alternative exhaust dispositions comprises re-routing the exhaust from one of the multiple alternative exhaust dispositions to another of the multiple alternative exhaust dispositions. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein routing the exhaust to one of multiple alternative exhaust dispositions comprises re-routing the exhaust from one of the multiple alternative exhaust dispositions to another of the multiple alternative exhaust dispositions. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring comprises generating a monitoring signal to initiate a change of the routing of the exhaust in response to change of the risk or hazard level determined from the monitored condition(s) or operating variable(s).