Semiconductor cleaning using plasma-free precursors

A semiconductor processing method comprising:

• i) providing one or more deposition precursors to a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
• ii) depositing a silicon-containing material on the substrate and on one or more components of the semiconductor processing chamber;
• iii) providing an activation precursor to the processing region;
• iv) providing a fluorine-containing precursor and a co-reactant to the processing region, wherein the co-reactant weakens bonds in the fluorine-containing precursor;
• v) contacting the silicon-containing material on the one or more components of the semiconductor processing chamber with the fluorine-containing precursor;
• vi) removing at least a portion of the silicon-containing material on the one or more components of the semiconductor processing chamber with the fluorine-containing precursor;
• and
• vii) repeating operations i) through vi) for at least three cycles, wherein:
• a temperature within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 700° C.;
• and
• a pressure within the semiconductor processing chamber during the semiconductor processing method is maintained at less than or about 20 Torr.

A semiconductor processing method comprising:

• i) providing a silicon-containing precursor to a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
• ii) depositing a silicon-containing material on the substrate and on one or more components of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the silicon-containing material comprises a silicon-and-oxygen-containing material or a silicon-and-nitrogen-containing material;
• iii) activating the silicon-containing material, wherein the activating weakens bonds in the silicon-containing material;
• iv) providing a fluorine-containing precursor to the processing region;
• v) contacting the silicon-containing material on the one or more components of the semiconductor processing chamber with the fluorine-containing precursor;
• vi) removing at least a portion of the silicon-containing material with the fluorine-containing precursor;
• and
• vii) repeating operations i) through vi) for a number of cycles, wherein:
• a temperature within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 700° C.;
• and
• a pressure within the semiconductor processing chamber during the semiconductor processing method is maintained at less than or about 20 Torr.