1. A sterilizer for sterilizing medical instruments, said sterilizer comprised of:
a pressure vessel having an opening communicating with an interior cavity;
a door assembly for closing and sealing said opening to said interior cavity;
a sterilant inlet;
a sterilant outlet communicating with said interior cavity; and
a container for holding medical instruments to be sterilized, said container comprised of:
a tray, and
a lid dimensioned to rest on said tray, said tray and said lid defining an interior area for holding said medical instruments,
said tray having connection means for connecting said sterilant inlet to said interior area of said tray when said tray is inserted in said interior cavity, and said lid being movable from said tray when pressurized sterilant is introduced into said interior area, said sterilant flowing past said lid to said sterilant outlet.
2. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said pressure vessel is dimensioned to engage said lid and limit movement thereof when said pressurized sterilant is introduced into said interior of said container.
3. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said sterilant is steam.
4. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said pressure vessel is generally cylindrical in shape.
5. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said connection means of said tray defines a tortuous path.
6. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein gaps are formed between said tray and said lid.
7. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said sterilant outlet is disposed at a lowest point in said container.
8. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said door assembly includes a concave inner surface that defines a recess, said recess and said interior cavity defining a sterilization chamber when said door assembly is in a closed position, closing and sealing said opening to said interior cavity.
9. A sterilizer as defined in claim 8, wherein a downward-sloping surface is disposed at a lower portion of said door assembly, said sloping surface being dimensioned to extend from said inner surface of said door assembly into said interior cavity of said vessel when said door assembly is in a closed position.
10. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said container includes a handle that extends from an end of said container, said container dimensioned such that said handle extends out of said interior cavity beyond said opening when said container is disposed within said vessel.
11. A sterilizer as defined in claim 10, wherein said door assembly includes a concave inner surface that defines a recess, said recess and said interior cavity defining a sterilization chamber when said door assembly is in a closed position, closing and sealing said opening to said interior cavity, said handle on said container being disposed within said recess when said door assembly is in a closed position.
12. A sterilizer as defined in claim 10, wherein said handle is formed as part of said tray.
13. A sterilizer as defined in claim 12, wherein said tray is formed of a polymer material.
14. A sterilizer as defined in claim 13, wherein said lid is formed of a polymer material that is at least partially transparent.
15. A sterilizer as defined in claim 1, wherein said sterilizer includes a locking assembly for maintaining said door assembly in a closed position during a sterilization cycle.
16. A sterilizer as defined in claim 15, wherein said locking assembly includes an over-center latch, wherein a holding force of said latch increases as pressure within said vessel increases.
17. A method as defined in claim 16, wherein said lock assembly includes a solenoid for releasing said latch.
18. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said sterilant inlet is a tube extending into said interior cavity of said pressure vessel, said tube dimensioned to be matingly received in an opening in one end of said container.
19. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein said sterilant inlet tube communicates with said interior cavity via a convolute path defined within said container.
20. A method of sterilizing medical instruments, comprising the steps of:
providing a pressurizable vessel and a container that is dimensioned to be disposed within said vessel, said container having a tray and a lid that together define an interior area for holding medical instruments, said container having gaps formed between said tray and lid;
introducing pressurized steam continuously and simultaneously into said interior area at one end of said container and into said vessel at one end thereof, said steam introduced at a pressure and volume to cause said steam to fill said interior area and to exit said container through said gaps in said container;
collecting steam and condensate at a second end of said vessel at a location at the bottom of said vessel; and
maintaining said steam in said vessel for a period of time sufficient to sterilize medical instruments in said container.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for operating a semiconductor processing apparatus that plasma-processes a semiconductor wafer mounted on a stage placed in a container using a plasma generated therein, comprising the steps of:
setting a temperature of the semiconductor wafer; and
controlling an operation of the semiconductor processing apparatus based on information about the temperature of the semiconductor wafer which is set.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of setting at least one operation condition of the semiconductor processing apparatus based on the set temperature of the wafer.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one operation condition include at least one of a temperature of a thermal medium that adjusts a temperature of a sample stage on which the semiconductor is mounted, a heater for heating said sample stage, a pressure of a gas introduced between the semiconductor wafer and the sample stage, and a high frequency power applied to the sample stage.
4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:
displaying the set at least one operation condition; and
enabling the user to input the at least one operation condition.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plasma-process of the semiconductor wafer is an etching of the semiconductor wafer.
6. A method of operating semiconductor processing apparatus for etching a semiconductor wafer disposed on a stage inside a container using a plasma generated therein, comprising the steps of:
inputting and commanding at least one operating condition inside the container during the operation of the apparatus, the at least one operating condition including a temperature of the semiconductor wafer; and
sending at least one signal to a plurality of portions of the apparatus and controlling the processing of the semiconductor wafer so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer is provided and the apparatus is operated so as to provide the at least one operating condition which is inputted.
7. A method of operating a semiconductor processing apparatus for etching a semiconductor wafer disposed on a stage inside a container using a plasma generated therein, comprising the steps of:
inputting and commanding at least one operating condition concerning the stage during the operation of the apparatus and another operating condition of a temperature of the semiconductor wafer; and
sending at least one signal to at least one portion of the stage and controlling the processing of the semiconductor wafer so that the temperature of said semiconductor wafer is provided and the apparatus is operated so as to provide the operating conditions which are inputted.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of controlling includes controlling the processing of the semiconductor wafer during the operation of the apparatus so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer which is inputted and commanded is maintained when a change in any of the at least one operating condition other than the another operating condition of the temperature of the semiconductor wafer is inputted.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one operating condition concerning the stage includes at least one of a temperature of a thermal medium that adjusts a temperature of the stage, a heating of the stage by a heater, a pressure of a gas introduced between the semiconductor wafer and the stage, and a radio frequency power applied to the stage.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of controlling includes controlling the processing of the semiconductor wafer during the operation of the apparatus so that the temperature of the semiconductor wafer which is inputted and commanded is maintained when a change in the at least one operating condition concerning the stage is inputted.