# US 11,908,679 B2 · Atomic oxygen and ozone device for cleaning and surface treatment

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- Number: US 11,908,679 B2
- Document ID: US11908679B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/556,562
- Filed: 2019-08-30
- Published: 2020-03-26
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2018-09-24
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Banqiu Wu; Eli Dagan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908679B2

## CPC

- H10P 70/20: {Cleaning during device manufacture}
- B08B 7/00: Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
- H10P 70/12: {by dry cleaning only (H10P70/52 takes precedence)}
- H10P 72/0406: {for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like}
- H10P 72/0436: {mainly by radiation}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL

## Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to oxygen cleaning chambers and a method of atomic oxygen cleaning a substrate. The oxygen cleaning chambers and method of atomic oxygen cleaning a substrate provide for generation of atomic oxygen in situ to oxidize materials on the surfaces of the substrate. The atomic oxygen cleaning chamber includes a chamber body, a chamber lid, a processing volume defined by the chamber body and the chamber lid, an UV radiation generator including one or more UV radiation sources, a pedestal disposed in the processing volume, and a gas distribution assembly. The pedestal has a processing position corresponding to a distance from the UV radiation generator to an upper surface of the pedestal. The gas distribution assembly is configured to be connected to an ozone generator to distribute ozone over the upper surface of the pedestal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An atomic oxygen cleaning chamber, comprising:
a chamber body having a gas inlet disposed in a first sidewall in the chamber body and a gas outlet disposed in a second sidewall of the chamber, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall are on opposite sides of the chamber body;
a chamber lid coupled to and disposed on the chamber body;
a processing volume defined by the chamber body and an underside of the chamber lid, the gas inlet open to the processing volume;
an ultraviolet (UV) radiation generator including one or more UV radiation sources disposed in the processing volume below the chamber lid;
a pedestal disposed in the processing volume, the pedestal having a processing position corresponding to a distance from the UV radiation generator to an upper surface of the pedestal, the pedestal in the processing position is below the gas inlet; and
a gas distribution assembly operable to distribute ozone laterally across the upper surface of the pedestal from the gas inlet of the chamber body laterally to the gas outlet of the chamber body, the one or more UV radiation sources disposed between the gas inlet and the underside of the chamber lid in the processing volume.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chamber of claim 1, wherein a flow guide is disposed in the gas inlet, the flow guide having a plurality of channels to distribute ozone over the upper surface of the pedestal.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The chamber of claim 1, wherein the one or more UV radiation sources are configured to discharge radiation at about 240 nanometers (nm) to about 310 nm wavelength.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The chamber of claim 1, the pedestal is coupled to a stem operable to move the pedestal between the processing position and a transfer position.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The atomic oxygen cleaning chamber of claim 1, wherein the pedestal and the UV radiation sources are disposed in a same processing volume.

### Claim 6

A system comprising:
one or more service chambers and one or more atomic oxygen cleaning chambers coupled to a transfer chamber; and
a robot housed in the transfer chamber used to transfer substrates between the one or more service chambers and the one or more atomic oxygen cleaning chambers, each of the one or more atomic oxygen cleaning chambers comprises:
a chamber body having a gas inlet disposed in a first sidewall in the chamber body and a gas outlet disposed in a second sidewall in the chamber body, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall are on opposite sides of the chamber body;
a chamber lid coupled to and disposed above the chamber body;
a processing volume defined by the chamber body and an underside of the chamber lid, the gas inlet open to the processing volume;
an ultraviolet (UV) radiation generator including one or more UV radiation sources disposed in the processing volume below the chamber lid;
a pedestal disposed in the processing volume, the pedestal having a processing position corresponding to a distance from the UV radiation generator to an upper surface of the pedestal, the pedestal in the processing position is below the gas inlet; and
a gas distribution assembly operable to distribute ozone laterally across the upper surface of the pedestal from the gas inlet of the chamber body laterally to the gas outlet of the chamber body, the one or more UV radiation sources disposed between the gas inlet and the underside of the chamber lid in the processing volume.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, a flow guide is disposed in the gas inlet, the flow guide having a plurality of channels to distribute ozone over the upper surface of the pedestal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more UV radiation sources are configured to discharge radiation at about 240 nanometers (nm) to about 310 nm wavelength.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, the pedestal is coupled to a stem operable to move the pedestal between the processing position and a transfer position.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein one or more service chambers are adapted for at least one of a degassing, orientation, cool down, pretreatment, precleaning, and post-annealing process.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the pedestal and the UV radiation sources are disposed in a same processing volume.
