JP2018188736A - Protection of hollow body inner surface by ald coating - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a formation method of a protective film for protecting an inner surface of a hollow body.SOLUTION: A method includes steps of: evacuating through an opening 411 of a hollow body so that an inner surface of the hollow body 410 becomes vacuum; exposing the inner surface of the hollow body to a self-saturation surface reaction successively by supplying reaction gas successively to the inner surface of the hollow body through a port assembly and the opening; and discharging a reaction residue from the hollow body through the opening of the hollow body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates generally to atomic layer deposition (ALD). More specifically, the present invention relates to providing a protective coating by ALD.

Background of the Invention

  Here, useful background information is presented without adhering to any technology representative of the state of the art described herein.

  The Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) method was invented by Dr. Tuomo Suntola in the early 1970s. Another generic term for this method is atomic layer deposition (ALD), which is used today instead of ALE. ALD is a special chemical deposition method by sequentially introducing at least two reactive precursor species into at least one substrate.

A thin film grown by ALD has a high density, no pinholes, and a uniform thickness. For example, in an experiment in which aluminum oxide was grown by thermal ALD from trimethylaluminum (CH ₃ ) ₃ Al, also called TMA, and water, the non-uniformity on the entire surface of the substrate wafer was only about 1%.

  One interesting application of ALD technology is the provision of protective coatings on surfaces.

Abstract

According to a first exemplary aspect of the present invention, a method for protecting the inner surface of a hollow body is provided. The method includes providing an intake / exhaust manifold with a port assembly attachable to an opening of the hollow body, and passing reactive gas to the inner surface of the hollow body through the port assembly and the opening. Sequentially supplying the inner surface of the hollow body to a self-saturating surface reaction and removing unwanted gas from the hollow body through the opening and the port assembly. Including.
The hollow body of the present application may be any hollow body that requires a protective coating on its inner surface. However, the hollow body of the present application excludes the gas container. Examples of hollow bodies of the present application include ovens, crushers, vibrators, valves, heat exchangers, fuel cells, liquid and mixture containers. A further example includes a closed processing device in which intake and discharge occur through the same port.

A desired protective coating is formed on the inner surface of the hollow body by the sequential self-saturated surface reaction (by ALD). That is, the inner surface of the hollow body may be coated with ALD so that all surfaces exposed to the reaction gas are finally coated on the inner surface of the hollow body.
If the hollow body (or device) has another opening in addition to the opening, depending on the embodiment, the other opening may be covered with a suitable cover or the other opening may be closed. Including.

In some embodiments, the method includes attaching the port assembly to the opening of the hollow body. The opening may be threaded.
When the manifold inlet and outlet exit the same port assembly, i.e., from the same opening in the hollow body, in some embodiments, the port assembly may be an integrated port. It may be configured as an assembly.

  In some embodiments, the method includes exhausting unwanted gas, such as reaction residue or purge gas, from the inner surface of the hollow body by a vacuum pump attached to the exhaust side of the intake and exhaust manifold. The vacuum pump may provide one or more of the following effects. That is, the vacuum pump may be used to evacuate the inner surface of the hollow body. The vacuum pump may be configured to discharge unnecessary gas from the hollow body via the port assembly.

  The hollow body may be used as a reaction chamber for ALD reaction. That is, in some embodiments, the hollow body is used as a reaction vessel that is sealed by the port assembly. This limits the occurrence of the sequential self-saturated surface reaction to the inner surface of the hollow body.

  In some embodiments, the hollow body coated on the inner wall forms a hot wall reaction chamber that is heated by an external heater.

  In some embodiments, both gas intake and gas exhaust are performed through the same opening or port of the hollow body. In some embodiments, the intake / exhaust manifold connected in an airtight manner to the hollow body opens directly into the hollow body, and provides an alternate supply of precursors required to perform the ALD process, and inertness. Allows purging of the internal volume of the hollow body with gas and removal of the precursor, gaseous reaction products, and purge gas from the hollow body.

  In some embodiments, the hollow body can be closed (or closed) by the intake / exhaust manifold.

  In some embodiments, the port assembly includes a seal. In some embodiments, the sealing portion is detachable from the opening of the hollow body instead of a sealing valve. The said sealing part has a taper screw depending on embodiment. In some embodiments, the taper screw is configured to mate with a counter screw in the opening of the hollow body. The sealing part may be turned and screwed into the opening of the hollow body to seal the opening of the hollow body. In some embodiments, a sealing tape such as a Teflon (registered trademark) tape is provided between the opening of the threaded hollow body and the taper screw in order to improve sealing performance. In some embodiments, at least one supply line and exhaust line passes through the seal. In some embodiments, the port assembly includes an attachment portion that is detachable from the sealing portion. The attachment portion may form a (cylindrical) extension of the sealing portion. In some embodiments, when the attachment portion is removed from the sealing portion, the sealing portion can be turned and tightened into the opening of the hollow body. Depending on mounting, the attachment portion may be capable of rotating the sealing portion while the sealing portion is attached to the attachment portion. In some embodiments, at least one supply conduit and exhaust conduit penetrates both the sealing portion and the attachment portion. In some embodiments, the interface between the sealing portion and the attachment portion is sealed when the attachment portion is attached to the sealing portion. In some embodiments, an airtight feedthrough for passing at least one of a supply pipe line and an exhaust pipe line is provided at the end opposite to the mounting portion.

  In embodiments where the hollow body is placed in a deposition reactor such as a reaction chamber or vacuum chamber, sealing by the port assembly prevents deposition of a coating on the chamber walls. . This reduces the need to clean the chamber walls.

  In some embodiments, the hollow body is used as a reaction vessel that is sealed by a sealing portion included in the port assembly.

  In some embodiments, the sealing portion has a taper screw that can be attached to and detached from the opening of the hollow body instead of the sealing valve.

  In some embodiments, the port assembly includes an attachment portion, the attachment portion can be attached to the sealing portion, and the sealing portion can be turned and tightened into the opening of the hollow body.

  In some embodiments, the method includes directing an inert purge gas to an intermediate section between the hollow body and a surrounding chamber wall and pumping the inert purge gas out of the intermediate space.

  The overpressure generated by introducing the inert purge gas into the intermediate space further improves the sealing effect of the port assembly. In one embodiment, the intermediate space is maintained at a vacuum pressure by a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the intermediate space. By configuring the material flow from the intermediate space through the exhaust conduit to a pump such as the vacuum pump, the precursor material that has entered the intermediate space can be removed.

The intake / exhaust manifold includes at least one supply pipe and an exhaust pipe. Precursor vapor is released from a discharge point in the hollow body of the at least one supply line. The exhaust pipe starts from an exhaust point in the hollow body. In some embodiments, the discharge point (ie, gas discharge point) within the hollow body is located at a different level than the exhaust point (ie, gas exhaust point). In some embodiments, the discharge point is provided at an end of the hollow body opposite to the end where the exhaust point is provided. In another exemplary embodiment, the longest extending gas line (exhaust line or supply line) extends from the opening to the farthest from the opening in the hollow body.
In some embodiments, the discharge point is provided at an end of the hollow body opposite to the end provided with the opening. And the said exhaust point is provided in the edge part (namely, edge part with the said opening part) of the other side. In some embodiments, the discharge point is provided at an end of the hollow body where the opening is present. And the said exhaust point is provided in the edge part on the opposite side (namely, edge part on the opposite side to the edge part with the said opening part). In some embodiments where the hollow body has a top and a bottom, the discharge point may be at the bottom and the exhaust point may be at the top. In some embodiments where the hollow body has a top and a bottom, the discharge point may be at the top and the exhaust point may be at the bottom.

  In some embodiments, the intake and exhaust manifold includes one or more supply lines, and the control elements of each supply line are controlled by a control system implemented in a computer.

  In some embodiments, the intake / exhaust manifold includes an ALD reactor supply facility. In some embodiments, the supply facility comprises a supply line and at least the desired precursor and inert gas flow control elements, such as valves, mass flow controllers, etc., and their control systems.

  The control system may be implemented by software such as a laptop computer. That is, in some embodiments, the intake / exhaust manifold includes one or more supply lines, and the control elements of each supply line are controlled by a control system implemented in a computer. Appropriate replaceable precursor sources and inert gas sources may be attached to the supply facility.

  According to a second exemplary aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for protecting the inner surface of a hollow body is provided. The apparatus is an intake / exhaust manifold comprising a port assembly attachable to an opening of the hollow body, wherein the apparatus passes reaction gas through the port assembly and the opening of the hollow body. Inlet and exhaust manifolds configured to sequentially expose the inner surface of the hollow body to a self-saturating surface reaction by sequentially supplying to the inner surface, and unwanted gas through the opening and the port assembly And a pump configured to be removed from the hollow body.

  In some embodiments, the gas discharge point provided by the intake / exhaust manifold is disposed at a different level from the gas exhaust point provided by the intake / exhaust manifold. The different levels here usually mean different heights.

  In some embodiments, the intake and exhaust manifolds include precursor vapor and purge gas supply lines and their control elements. The pump may be attached to an exhaust side of the intake / exhaust manifold. The pump may be a vacuum pump.

  In some embodiments, the intake / exhaust manifold includes a hollow body specific port assembly configured to attach the intake / exhaust manifold to the opening of the hollow body, thereby A fluid communication path is formed between the manifold and the inner surface of the hollow body. Similarly, a fluid communication path is formed between the inner surface of the hollow body and the pump.

  In some embodiments, the port assembly includes a seal that is attachable to the opening of the hollow body.

In some embodiments, the sealing portion has a taper screw.
In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to deliver an inert purge gas to a chamber surrounding the hollow body and an intermediate space between the hollow body and a wall of the surrounding chamber. A conduit.

The device comprising the intake / exhaust manifold may be mobile so that it can be moved to meet user needs. In some embodiments, the intake / exhaust manifold includes an intake manifold and an exhaust manifold separately, and both manifolds can be simultaneously connected to the opening of the hollow body and cooperate in a method for protecting the inner surface of the hollow body. Designed to work.
In yet another embodiment, the gas inlet and outlet are not provided in the same opening, but a gas inlet is provided in the first opening of the hollow body and, if necessary, the first of the hollow body. A gas outlet may be provided at the two openings.

According to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for protecting the inner surface of a hollow body comprising:
Evacuating through the opening of the hollow body such that the inner surface of the hollow body is evacuated;
Sequentially exposing the inner surface of the hollow body to a self-saturating surface reaction by sequentially supplying a reactive gas to the inner surface of the hollow body through the port assembly and the opening;
Evacuating reaction residues from the hollow body through the opening of the hollow body;
A method is provided comprising:

  Thus far, various embodiments have been illustrated that do not constrain the present invention. Each of the above embodiments is used only to illustrate selected aspects or steps utilized to implement the present invention. Some embodiments may have been presented only by reference to certain exemplary aspects of the invention. It should be understood that the corresponding embodiments are applicable to other exemplary aspects. These embodiments may be arbitrarily and appropriately combined.

  The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a device and use of the device to protect the inner surface of a hollow body, according to one exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates another supply configuration according to certain exemplary embodiments. FIG. 6 illustrates yet another exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 illustrates a sealing configuration according to certain exemplary embodiments. FIG. 3 illustrates a method according to an exemplary embodiment.

Detailed explanation

  In the following description, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique is used as an example. The basics of ALD growth mechanisms are known to those skilled in the art. As mentioned in the introductory part of this patent application, ALD is a special chemical deposition method by sequentially introducing at least two reactive precursor species onto at least one substrate. By exposing at least one substrate to a precursor pulse that is time-divided in a reaction vessel, material is deposited on the surface of the substrate by sequential self-saturated surface reactions. In the context of the present application, the at least one substrate comprises the inner surface (inner surface) of the hollow body. Also, in the context of this application, the term ALD includes any applicable ALD-based technology and equivalent or closely related technology. An example of this is a molecular layer deposition (MLD) technique.

  A basic ALD deposition cycle consists of four consecutive steps: Pulse A, Purge A, Pulse B, and Purge B. Pulse A is composed of the first precursor vapor and pulse B is composed of the second precursor vapor. Inert gases and vacuum pumps are commonly used to purge gaseous reaction byproducts and residual reactant molecules from the reaction space during purge A and purge B periods. One deposition sequence includes at least one deposition cycle. The deposition cycle is repeated until the deposition sequence produces a thin film or film of the desired thickness. The deposition cycle can also be made more complex. For example, a deposition cycle can include three or more reactant vapor pulses, each separated by a purge step. All of these deposition cycles form a timed deposition sequence that is controlled by a logic unit or microprocessor.

  In certain exemplary embodiments described below, methods and apparatus are provided for protecting the inner surface of a hollow body with a protective coating. This hollow body is a pressure vessel. The hollow body itself forms a reaction chamber (ie, reaction space), and generally there is no separate substrate, and the inner surface of the hollow body forms the substrate (where the substrate is the material being processed) Means). All these surfaces can be coated by ALD treatment. In the ALD process, the precursor vapor is sequentially supplied to the inner surface of the hollow body via the intake / exhaust manifold. Unnecessary gases such as reaction residues and purge gas (if present) are pumped from the inner surface of the hollow body through the exhaust side of the intake / exhaust manifold. The hollow body may optionally be heated prior to and / or during the ALD process by a heater placed around the hollow body.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method and associated apparatus in a particular exemplary embodiment. The device used for protecting the inner surface of the hollow body 10 includes an intake / exhaust manifold 20. This device may be a mobile device. The mobile device may be moved as appropriate close to the hollow body to be protected, if necessary.

  The intake / exhaust manifold 20 is configured to be removably attached to the opening 11 of the hollow body. FIG. 1 shows an intake / exhaust manifold 20 attached to the opening 11 by a port assembly 24. The port assembly 24 may be a hollow body specific part. The port assembly includes a sealing structure (not shown) that seals the interface between the opening 11 and the port assembly 24. In one exemplary embodiment, the port assembly comprises a seal (not shown). This seal is clamped to its opposite surface in the opening 11.

  The intake / exhaust manifold 20 includes an ALD reactor supply facility 70. The supply facility 70 includes necessary supply pipelines and their control elements. A first precursor vapor supply line 41, a second precursor supply line 42, and a purge gas supply line 43 are attached to the port assembly 24 shown in FIG. The first precursor supply line 41 is the first precursor source 21, the second precursor supply line 42 is the second precursor source 22, and the purge gas supply line 43 is the purge / inert gas source. 23 is the starting point. The supply lines 41 to 43 extend from the corresponding sources 21 to 23 through the port assembly 24 and the opening 11 to the inside of the hollow body 10, respectively. The supply lines 41 to 43 terminate at their respective discharge points. The exhaust pipe line 32 starts from an exhaust point on the inner surface of the hollow body. The emission point should be located at a different level than the exhaust point in order to effectively obtain uniform deposition. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the discharge points of the supply pipelines 41 to 43 are at the lower end of the hollow body 10 and the exhaust point is at the upper end.

  The supply line control element includes a flow rate control element and a timing control element. A first precursor supply valve 61 and a mass (or volume) flow controller 51 in the first precursor supply line 41 control the timing and flow rate of the first precursor pulse. Similarly, a second precursor supply valve 62 and mass (or volume) flow controller 52 in the second precursor supply line 42 controls the timing and flow rate of the second precursor pulse. Further, the purge gas supply valve 63 and the mass (or volume) flow rate controller 53 control the timing and flow rate of the purge gas.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the operation of the supply facility 70 is controlled by a control system. FIG. 1 shows a control connection 72 between a supply facility 70 and a control system 71. The control system 71 may be implemented by software such as a laptop computer, for example.

  In some embodiments, the ALD process on the inner surface of the hollow body is performed at a vacuum pressure. The intake / exhaust manifold 20 includes a vacuum pump 33. In some embodiments, the vacuum pump 33 is disposed at the end of the exhaust line 32 provided by the intake / exhaust manifold 20. The vacuum pump 33 can optionally be controlled by the control system 71 via an optional electrical connection 73 (between the control system 71 and the vacuum pump 33). In some embodiments, the hollow body is heated by an external heater (not shown).

During operation, the inside of the hollow body 10 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 33. The precursor vapors of the first precursor and the second precursor are sequentially released from the discharge points of the first and second precursor supply lines 41 and 42 to the inner surface of the hollow body, respectively. In the purge step, inert purge gas is released from the discharge point of the purge gas supply line 43 to the inner surface of the hollow body. Arrows 15 indicate the direction of flow in the hollow body from the respective precursor vapor and purge gas discharge points to the exhaust point (which is pumped through to exhaust line 32). By repeating the deposition cycle as necessary, a protective coating having a desired thickness is obtained on the inner surface of the hollow body.
Coatings that can be applied depending on the application include, for example, metal oxides such as aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, tantalum oxide, tungsten carbide, and combinations thereof, but the coating is not limited to these materials.

  Still referring to FIG. 1, it should be noted that in other embodiments, the configuration of the intake and exhaust manifold 20 may be different. Instead of separate supply lines, at least some of the plurality of supply lines may be shared. The type of valve may be different and the position of the flow control element may be different. For example, a three-way valve may be used in place of the two-way valve to immediately reflect the change in the supply pipeline route. The precursor source and purge gas are selected according to the mounting and desired coating. The hollow body 10 may be heated from the outside of the hollow body 10 by an optional heater 16. The heater may be a helical coil heater provided around the hollow body 10. The operation of the heater can optionally be controlled via a connection by the control system 71.

  When the hollow body 10 has an opening other than the opening described above, the other opening may be covered with a cover or the other opening may be closed depending on the embodiment. May be.

  2A and 2B show two alternative embodiments for the arrangement of supply and exhaust lines in the hollow body 10. The hollow body 10 has an inner wall shaped so that the low pressure gas can move freely.

  FIG. 2A corresponds to the configuration shown in FIG. That is, the supply pipelines 41 to 43 and the exhaust pipeline 32 extend through the opening 11. The supply lines 41 to 43 terminate at their respective discharge points. The exhaust pipe line 32 starts from an exhaust point. The discharge points of the supply pipes 41 to 43 are at the lower end portion of the hollow body 10 and the exhaust point is at the upper end portion. The direction of gas flow is indicated by arrows 15.

  On the other hand, in the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, the exhaust line starts from the lower end of the hollow body 10, and the discharge points of the supply lines 41 to 43 are at the upper end. The supply pipelines 41 to 43 and the exhaust pipeline 32 extend through the opening 11. The supply lines 41 to 43 terminate at their respective discharge points. The exhaust pipe line 32 starts from an exhaust point. The direction of gas flow is indicated by arrows 15.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method and apparatus for protecting the inner surface of a hollow body according to another exemplary embodiment. This embodiment basically corresponds to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, but discloses certain additional features.

  FIG. 3 shows a pressure vessel such as a chamber 30 surrounding the hollow body 10. The chamber 30 may be, for example, a vacuum chamber or an ALD reaction chamber that is generally used in the field of ALD. The hollow body 10 is loaded into the chamber 30 from a loading hatch 31 or the like, and is attached to the port assembly 24 through the opening 11. The supply pipelines 41 to 43 are passed into the chamber 30 through a feedthrough 36 provided on the wall of the chamber 30. The exhaust pipe line 32 is passed to the outside of the chamber 30 through a feedthrough 46 provided on the wall of the chamber 30. The positions of the feedthroughs 36 and 46 vary depending on the implementation. Feedthroughs 36 and 46 may be implemented by a single feedthrough. Feedthroughs 36 and 46 are sealed.

  The basic operation relating to the deposition of the protective coating in the hollow body 10 is the same as that described in connection with FIG.

  The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 optionally includes a purge gas supply conduit 44. Via this conduit 44, an inert purge gas is led (released) into the intermediate space 40 between the hollow body 10 and the wall of the surrounding chamber 30. The purge gas flows to the conduit 44 along the branch pipe 43a branched from the purge gas supply pipe 43, for example.

  The intermediate space 40 is exhausted by the vacuum pump 33 through an exhaust conduit 45 provided on the opposite side of the intermediate space 40. The exhaust pump 33 is in fluid communication with the intermediate space 40 via an exhaust conduit 47 extending from the exhaust conduit 45 to the exhaust pump 33. The exhaust lines 32 and 47 may join at any point on the path to the exhaust pump 33.

  By the pumping, a flow is generated in the intermediate space 40, and the precursor material that has entered the intermediate space 40 is guided to the exhaust pipe 47. The overpressure generated by introducing the inert purge gas into the intermediate space 40 further improves the sealing effect of the port assembly 24. An arrow 35 indicates the flow direction in the intermediate space 40.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a sealing configuration according to one exemplary embodiment. The hollow body 410 includes an opening 411. The intake / exhaust manifold includes a port assembly that includes a seal 424. The sealing portion can be attached to and detached from the opening 411 instead of the sealing valve, for example, by turning. In some embodiments, the sealing portion is removable at a hollow body sealing valve or the like. In some embodiments, the sealing portion 424 is configured as a taper screw portion for attachment and detachment. The taper screw of the sealing portion is configured to be fitted with an opposing screw (not shown) in the opening 411 (if present) and tightened into the opening 411 for sealing. As described above, the sealing portion 424 seals the opening by, for example, turning and screwing into the opening of the hollow body.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4B, a seal such as Teflon tape is provided around the taper screw between the threaded opening 411 and the taper screw to improve sealing. A stop tape 425 is provided. FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the particular part shown in FIG. 4A.
Depending on the embodiment, the sealing portion may or may not be tapered, and may or may not be threaded. Depending on the embodiment, the sealing portion may have a taper shape in which no thread is formed, or may be a screw shape but not a taper shape.

  The two supply lines 441 and 443 and the exhaust line 432 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are configured similarly to the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2B. That is, the gas discharge point is very close to the opening of the hollow body and the exhaust point is at the opposite end of the hollow body. The supply line and the exhaust line pass through the sealing portion 424 and extend into the hollow body 410. In some embodiments, the port assembly further includes a mounting portion 426 that is detachable from the sealing portion. The mounting portion 426 forms a (cylindrical) extension of the sealing portion 424. Depending on the embodiment, when the attachment portion 426 is removed from the sealing portion 424, the sealing portion 424 can be turned and tightened into the opening portion 411. Depending on the mounting, the attachment portion 426 may be capable of rotating the sealing portion 424 while the sealing portion 424 is attached to the attachment portion 426. The supply pipelines 441 and 443 and the exhaust pipeline 432 pass through both the sealing portion 424 and the attachment portion 426. The interface between the sealing portion 424 and the attachment portion 426 is sealed when the attachment portion 426 is attached to the sealing portion 424. In some embodiments, at least one of supply lines 441 and 443 and an exhaust line 432 is provided at the end of the attachment 426 opposite the end on the seal side (as shown at the top of FIG. 4A). An airtight feedthrough is provided for threading. Airtight feedthrough here basically means a feedthrough that allows gas to pass only through the conduit between the interior of a part and the exterior of the attachment 426. Similarly, an airtight interface allows gas to pass only through the interface from a component on the first side of the interface (eg, mounting portion 426) to a component on the second side (eg, sealing portion 424). It means the interface that can.

  In the embodiment in which the attachment portion is omitted, the feedthrough is preferably provided at the (upper) end of the sealing portion 424.

  For the general operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, reference is also made to the embodiment shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method according to one exemplary embodiment. In step 81, the intake / exhaust manifold is attached to the hollow body. In step 82, ALD processing is executed. The ALD process involves sequentially exposing the inner surface of the hollow body to a self-saturating surface reaction to remove unwanted gases from the hollow body. Finally, in step 83, the intake / exhaust manifold is removed from the hollow body.

  Some of the technical effects of one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are listed below, which do not limit the scope and interpretation of each claim. One technical effect is to protect the inner surface of the hollow body with a conformal protective coating. Another technical effect is to coat only the inside of the hollow body and not the outside. Yet another technical advantage is that the need to clean the surrounding chamber is reduced.

  It should be noted that some of the functions or method steps described above may be performed in a different order and / or simultaneously. Furthermore, one or more of the functions or method steps described above may be optional or combined.

The foregoing has provided a complete and useful description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, presently devised by the inventors, using non-limiting examples of specific implementations and embodiments of the invention. . However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in other embodiments using equivalent means without departing from the features of the present invention. Is clear.

  Furthermore, some of the features of the above-described embodiments of the present invention may be effectively used without using other features as well. Accordingly, the above description is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (1)

A method for protecting the inner surface of a hollow body,
Evacuating through the opening of the hollow body such that the inner surface of the hollow body is evacuated;
Sequentially exposing the inner surface of the hollow body to a self-saturating surface reaction by sequentially supplying a reactive gas to the inner surface of the hollow body through the port assembly and the opening;
Evacuating reaction residues from the hollow body through the opening of the hollow body;
Including a method.