Plasma Equipment Technical Services Inc, 5019 Preston Ave, Livermore, CA 94551, US

History of DryScrub, DRYSCRUB, ETC DryScrub, Electrochemical Technology Corporation (ETC) was founded in October 1986. Electrochemical Technology Corporation was the company name used from 1986 till the end of 2002. DryScrub is the product name. The popular recognition of DryScrub System prompted us to use DryScrub as the company name and preserved the long Electrochemical Technology Corporation name as ETC. From 2003 on, DryScrub ETC is adapted as the company name. To achieve today's desired process results, gas flows must be set high enough to ensure that a balance is achieved between film thickness, uniformity, and film stress, as a direct result, in excess of 80% of the total reactant gases flow through the process area 'unused'. This 'unused' gas is then available to form by-products and/or films in the downstream lines and equipment. These by-products can result in clogging of the lines or failure of the vacuum pumps with the consequent increase in maintenance requirements and lost production. Dr. Ray Chiu, from his experiences with Plasma Etching and PECVD Process development had the idea that, under the correct conditions, a plasma process chamber could react the process gasses almost through to depletion and if this chamber was placed just after the process chamber, it would prevent most of the by-products being formed in downstream lines and equipment, and the passage of some toxic gas into the environment. Early experiments proved successful and the end result was the DryScrub system.