# US 12,603,262 B2 · Cleaning method and plasma processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,603,262 B2 - Document ID: US12603262B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/552,292 - Filed: 2022-03-14 - Published: 2024-05-23 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-26 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Yoshiki Nakano; Takafumi Nogami; Kenichi Kote - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12603262B2 ## CPC - H01J 37/32862: {In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts} - C23C 16/345: {Silicon nitride} - C23C 16/44: characterised by the method of coating (C23C16/04 takes precedence) - C23C 16/4405: {Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases} - C23C 16/511: using microwave discharges - H01J 37/32192: {Microwave generated discharge (H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence)} - H10P 14/60: of insulating materials - H10P 50/242: {of Group IV materials} - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract In a specification step, the pressure within a processing container at the time of plasma cleaning is specified from the amount of damage to a protective film that is provided on an inner surface of the processing container and the cleaning rate at which accumulated matter that accumulates in the processing container is removed, said amount of damage and said cleaning rate being treated as plasma cleaning parameters. In a cleaning step, the pressure within the processing container is adjusted to the pressure that was specified in the specification step, while a cleaning gas is supplied into the processing container, and microwaves are used to generate plasma within the processing container and plasma cleaning is performed within the processing container. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cleaning method comprising: specifying a pressure within a processing container during plasma cleaning from an amount of damage to a protective film provided on an inner surface of the processing container and a cleaning rate at which a deposit deposited in the processing container is removed, wherein the amount of damage and the cleaning rate are conditions for plasma cleaning; and cleaning an interior of the processing container with plasma by adjusting the pressure within the processing container to the pressure specified in the specifying while supplying a cleaning gas into the processing container and generating plasma within the processing container by microwaves, wherein the specifying the pressure includes: from first relational data indicating a relationship between the pressure within the processing container and the amount of damage to the protective film in plasma cleaning, specifying a first pressure range in which the amount of damage is equal to or less than the amount of damage that is the condition for the plasma cleaning; from second relationship data indicating a relationship between the pressure within the processing container and the cleaning rate in the plasma cleaning, specifying a second pressure range in which a cleaning rate is equal to or higher than the cleaning rate that is the condition for the plasma cleaning; and from an overlap range where the specified first pressure range and the specified second pressure range overlap each other, specifying the pressure within the processing container during the plasma cleaning. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cleaning method of claim 1, wherein a film formation on a substrate is executed within the processing container, wherein the cleaning the interior of the processing container is executed each time the film formation is performed on a predetermined number of substrates or each time the film formation is performed to a predetermined cumulative film thickness, and wherein in the specifying the pressure, the pressure within the processing container during the plasma cleaning is specified to be higher as a number of times the cleaning has been performed is increased. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cleaning method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas includes a halogen-based gas. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cleaning method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas includes any one of NF3, ClF3, SF6, and CF4. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cleaning method of claim 1, wherein, in the specifying the pressure, the pressure within the processing container is specified to be within a range of 30 Pa to 60 Pa. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cleaning method of claim 5, wherein a film formation on a substrate is executed within the processing container, wherein the cleaning the interior of the processing container is executed each time the film formation is performed on a predetermined number of substrates or each time the film formation is performed to a predetermined cumulative film thickness, and wherein in the specifying the pressure, the pressure within the processing container during the plasma cleaning is specified to be higher as a number of times the cleaning has been performed is increased. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The cleaning method of claim 6, wherein the cleaning gas includes a halogen-based gas. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The cleaning method of claim 7, wherein the cleaning gas includes any one of NF3, ClF3, SF6, and CF4. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cleaning method of claim 8, wherein the cleaning gas includes an inert gas, and wherein the inert gas comprises at least one of N2, Ar, and He. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The cleaning method of claim 9, wherein a flow rate ratio between the cleaning gas and the inert gas is 10:1 to 10:15. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cleaning method of claim 10, wherein the processing container includes a plurality of microwave radiation mechanisms in a central portion of an upper portion of the processing container and in a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion, and a power ratio of microwave plasma radiated from the microwave radiation mechanisms between the central portion and the peripheral portion is controllable. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The cleaning method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of microwave radiation mechanisms is configured to control the power ratio of microwave plasma between the central portion and the peripheral portion to be in a range of 0:550 to 500:550. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The cleaning method of claim 12, wherein the cleaning gas includes the halogen-based gas and the inert gas, wherein the processing container includes gas introduction holes in the upper portion of the processing container and in a side wall portion of the processing container, wherein the halogen-based gas is supplied from the gas introduction hole in the upper portion, and wherein the inert gas is supplied from at least one of the gas introduction hole in the upper portion and the gas introduction hole in the side wall portion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The cleaning method of claim 13, wherein, in the cleaning the interior of the processing container, a cleaning amount during the plasma cleaning is monitored by a cleaning amount monitor, and based on a change in the cleaning amount, a power of microwave plasma, a power ratio of microwave plasma, a flow rate of the cleaning gas, and a flow rate ratio of the cleaning gas are controlled while the pressure within the processing container is maintained at the pressure specified in the specifying the pressure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The cleaning method of claim 14, wherein the deposit is a silicon-containing material deposited within the processing container by forming a film of the silicon-containing material on a substrate within the processing container. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The cleaning method of claim 15, wherein the silicon-containing material is SiN, SiCN, SION, SiOCN, SiC, or amorphous silicon. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The cleaning method of claim 16, wherein the protective film is an Y2O3 film. ### Claim 18 A processing apparatus comprising: a processing container having a protective film provided on an inner surface of the processing container; a gas supplier configured to supply a cleaning gas into the processing container; an adjuster configured to adjust a pressure within the processing container; a radiator configured to radiate microwaves for plasma generation into the processing container; a specifier configured to specify the pressure within the processing container during plasma cleaning from an amount of damage to the protective film and a cleaning rate for removing a deposit deposited within the processing container, wherein the amount of damage and the cleaning rate are conditions for the plasma cleaning; and a cleaning controller configured to control the adjuster to adjust the pressure within the processing container to the pressure specified by the specifier while controlling the gas supplier to supply the cleaning gas into the processing container, and to control the radiator to radiate microwaves to generate plasma within the processing container, so that the interior of the processing container is cleaned with the plasma, wherein the specifier is configured to specify the pressure within the processing container by performing: from first relational data indicating a relationship between the pressure within the processing container and the amount of damage to the protective film in plasma cleaning, specifying a first pressure range in which the amount of damage is equal to or less than the amount of damage that is the condition for the plasma cleaning; from second relationship data indicating a relationship between the pressure within the processing container and the cleaning rate in the plasma cleaning, specifying a second pressure range in which a cleaning rate is equal to or higher than the cleaning rate that is the condition for the plasma cleaning; and from an overlap range where the specified first pressure range and the specified second pressure range overlap each other, specifying the pressure within the processing container during the plasma cleaning.