US4536227A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of and apparatus for producing a controlled unsaturated vapor pressure of a volatile liquid in a heat treatment chamber
Assignee: US Philips Corp
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Filing: 1983-12-09
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Granted: 1985-08-20
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Expires: 2003-12-09
Abstract
Abstract It is necessary in many heat treatment processes conducted in open systems to maintain a given partial pressure of a volatile component of a material being treated, and it is desirable to conserve this volatile component, both on account of cost and in the case of components such as mercury, toxicity. A controlled unsaturated vapor pressure of a volatile liquid 28 may be produced in a tube 3 by passing a stream of a carrier gas through a vaporizer 4 containing the liquid 28 at a temperature Ts, passing the mixture of the carrier gas and vapor of the liquid 28 through a tube 3 containing material 29 to be treated, which material 29 is at a temperature Tt. The mixture of the carrier gas and vapor of the liquid 28 is then passed to a condenser 6 from which the carrier gas is vented to waste, and the vapor of the liquid 28 is condensed at a temperature Tc in the condenser 6. Tt>Ts >Tc. The condensate passes from the condenser 6 to the vaporizer 4 through a tube 12, and the liquid 28 fills a cross-section of a length of the tube 12.
Inventors
- 👤 John C. Brice
- 👤 Colin R. Brough
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 13:02
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B19/00; C30B19/10; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/448; C23C16/4481; C30B19/02; C30B19/04; C30B29/00; C30B29/10; C30B29/46; C30B29/48; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S117/00; Y10S117/906; Y10S117/907
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
166 words
A method of producing a controlled unsaturated vapour pressure of a volatile liquid at a temperature T t in a heat treatment chamber, said method comprising the steps of passing a stream of a carrier gas through a vapouriser containing the volatile liquid at a temperature T s , passing the mixture of the carrier gas and the vapour of the volatile liquid through the heat treatment chamber which is at the temperature T t , leading the mixture of the carrier gas and the vapour of the volatile liquid from the heat treatment chamber to a condenser from which the carrier gas is vented to waste and in which condenser the volatile liquid is condensed at a temperature T c , that the condensate is recycled through the vapouriser, that T t >T s >T c , and that the volatile liquid in a tube through which the condensate passes from the condenser to the vapouriser fills the cross-section of a length of the tube.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
166 words
A method of producing a controlled unsaturated vapour pressure of a volatile liquid at a temperature T t in a heat treatment chamber, said method comprising the steps of passing a stream of a carrier gas through a vapouriser containing the volatile liquid at a temperature T s , passing the mixture of the carrier gas and the vapour of the volatile liquid through the heat treatment chamber which is at the temperature T t , leading the mixture of the carrier gas and the vapour of the volatile liquid from the heat treatment chamber to a condenser from which the carrier gas is vented to waste and in which condenser the volatile liquid is condensed at a temperature T c , that the condensate is recycled through the vapouriser, that T t >T s >T c , and that the volatile liquid in a tube through which the condensate passes from the condenser to the vapouriser fills the cross-section of a length of the tube.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the partial pressure P s of volatile liquid in the mixture leaving the vapouriser is substantially equal to the partial pressure of vapour in equilibrium with the liquid at T s .
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 2, wherein the pressure of the carrier gas entering the vapouriser is greater than P s .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the volatile liquid is mercury.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
117 words
In the method of growing a layer of a compound, a component of which is a volatile liquid, on a substrate by a liquid phase epitaxy growth process, in which process a controlled unsaturated vapor pressure of said volatile liquid is produced in a treatment chamber containing said substrate and a liquid source of said compound positioned in said treatment chamber apart from said substrate, said liquid source is heated to a temperature sufficient to vaporize said liquid source and the resultant vapor is caused to condense on said substrate maintained at a temperature below the melting point of said compound, the improvement wherein said controlled unsaturated vapor pressure is produced by the method of claim 1.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
70 words
In the method of annealing a compound, a component of which is a volatile liquid, by heating said compound at a temperature T t in a heat treatment chamber containing a controlled unsaturated vapor pressure of said volatile liquid at said temperature T t , the improvement wherein said controlled unsaturated vapor pressure of said volatile liquid is produced in said heat treatment chamber by the method of claim 1.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 5, wherein the substance has a composition defined by the formula Cd x Hg 1-x Te, that 0.4>x>0.15 and that the volatile liquid is mercury.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the volatile liquid is mercury.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the volatile liquid is mercury.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the compound has a composition defined by the formula Cd x Hg 1-x Te, that 0.4>x>0.15 and that the volatile liquid is mercury.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-08-19 | 1989-02-18 | 1989-08-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-08-19 | 1993-02-18 | 1993-08-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-08-19 | 1997-02-18 | 1997-08-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |