Process for cleaning and repassivating semiconductor equipment parts
OwnerHenry C. Peeblesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wet cleaning/passivation process for a passivatable metal part including a contaminant-bearing surface. The process includes the steps of: (a) contacting the contaminant-bearing part with an aqueous acid solution effective for pickling the contaminant-bearing surface of the contaminant-bearing part, with such contacting being conducted for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to achieve pickling of the contaminant-bearing surface; (b) contacting the cleaned surface of the part with a passivating aqueous solution, with such contacting being conducted for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to passivate the cleaned surface; and (c) CO2 blasting the surface, to remove micron and sub-micron particles from the surface.
Claims100
A wet cleaning/passivation process for a contaminant-bearing passivatable part including a contaminant-bearing surface, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting the contaminant-bearing part with an aqueous acid solution effective for pickling the contaminant-bearing surface of the part, with such contacting being conducted for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to achieve pickling of the contaminant-bearing surface and produce a corresponding cleaned surface;
- (b) contacting the cleaned surface of the part with a passivating aqueous solution, with such contacting being conducted for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to passivate the cleaned surface;
- and
- (c) CO2 blasting the surface, to remove contaminant material from the surface.
A process for cleaning and passivating a non-bellows stainless steel part, comprising the steps of:
- (a) pickling the part in an aqueous pickling solution containing HF and HNO3;
- (b) soaking the part in a deionized water rinse bath;
- (c) passivating the part by contacting it with an aqueous passivating solution;
- (d) resoaking the part in a deionized water rinse bath;
- (e) drying the part;
- (f) CO2 snow blasting the part.
A process for cleaning and passivating a semiconductor process tool bellows assembly including a bowl having an O-ring groove therein and an opposing flange to said bowl, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) polishing the O-ring groove on the bowl of the bellows, the outside of the bowl and the opposing flange at an outside edge thereof;
- (b) pickling the bellows in an aqueous pickling solution including HF and HNO3;
- (c) rinsing the bellows in a deionized water bath;
- (d) passivating the bellows in an aqueous passivating solution;
- (e) rinsing the bellows in a deionized water bath;
- and
- (f) CO2 snow blasting the bellows.
A process of removing bead blasting residue from a stainless steel surface comprising same, said process comprising contacting the stainless steel surface comprising the bead blasting residue thereon with an aqueous pickling solution comprising hydrogen fluoride and nitric acid, in sufficient concentrations relative to each other to effect pickling removal of bead blasting residue from the surface, whereby the bead blasting residue on the surface is at least partially reduced by said contacting.
A method of increasing the operating life of a semiconductor processing tool between successive maintenance events, in which the semiconductor manufacturing tool comprises a stainless steel surface which during the operating life are contaminated with contaminant species deriving from a semiconductor process conducted by the semiconductor processing tool and/or ambient exposure to an ambient environment of the semiconductor processing tool, said method comprising conducting said maintenance events to include cleaning and passivation of the stainless steel surface initially presented as a contaminant-bearing surface, by steps including:
- (a) contacting the surface with an aqueous acid solution effective for pickling the contaminant-bearing surface, with such contacting being conducted for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to achieve pickling of the contaminant-bearing surface and produce a corresponding cleaned surface;
- (b) contacting the cleaned surface with a passivating aqueous solution, with such contacting being conducted for sufficient time and at sufficient temperature to passivate the cleaned surface;
- and
- (c) CO2 blasting the surface, to remove contaminant material from the surface.
A method of determining amenability of a stainless steel surface of a semiconductor manufacturing tool to wet cleaning and passivation treatment, wherein the wet cleaning and passivation treatment includes exposure of the stainless steel surface to an aqueous acid solution, said method comprising contacting the surface with an aqueous acid solution of at least the same strength as that involved in said wet cleaning and passivation treatment, and determining whether insoluble powder is released from the surface into the aqueous acid solution, evidencing intergranular corrosive attack of the surface, and contraindicating the surface as amenable to said wet cleaning and passivation treatment.
A method of controlling contamination of semiconductor processing tool parts forming a component assembly of a semiconductor processing tool, prior to incorporation of the parts into a tool in a semiconductor processing facility, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) CO2 snow blasting of the parts;
- (b) assembling the parts upon completion of step (a), in a clean room environment;
- (c) CO2 snow blasting the assembly to remove any accumulated chemical contamination and particle matter;
- (d) vacuum baking the assembly in the clean room environment;
- (e) securing the assembly to a fixture member in an evacuated hard container;
- (f) packaging the assembly with a getter;
- and (g) installing the assembly in the tool in the semiconductor processing facility upon removal of the assembly from the evacuated hard container.
A process of operating a semiconductor processing facility wherein parts comprising stainless steel surfaces are periodically cleaned to renew the parts for reuse in the facility, and cleaning includes treatment that increases surface roughness, wherein the process comprises (a) marking each part with identification indicia, (b) tracking surface roughness and number of cleaning cycles with reference to said identification indicia to determine when the parts have reached or will reach a predetermined maximum roughness limit, and (c) polishing surfaces of the parts before their surfaces exceed the predetermined maximum roughness limit, to restore lower roughness to such surfaces, for reuse of the parts in said semiconductor processing facility.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.