An apparatus for protecting a vacuum system of semiconductor equipment is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a process tool and a gas-exploding unit. The process tool includes a gas reaction chamber, and the process tool is connected with a first gas piping to exhaust a waste gas in the gas reaction chamber. The gas-exploding unit includes a gas-exploding chamber, a gas valve, a pressure sensor, and a gas-exploding device for sealing an opening in a wall of the gas-exploding chamber. The gas-exploding chamber is connected with the first gas piping to receive the waste gas. The waste gas in the gas-exploding chamber is transported to a local scrubber through a second gas piping, and then exhausted to a central scrubber. The pressure sensor is used to detect a pressure in the gas-exploding chamber. While the pressure in the gas-exploding chamber detected by the pressure sensor is larger than a reference value, the process tool is shutdown, and the gas valve is then opened to release the waste gas to the central scrubber through a third gas piping.