Cleaning chamber surfaces to recover metal-containing compounds
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsKarl Brueckner, Hong Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a method of cleaning metal-containing deposits such as tantalum from a surface of a process chamber component, such as a metal surface, the surface is immersed in a cleaning solution. In one version, the cleaning solution is a solution having HF and HNO3 in a ratio that removes deposits from the surface substantially without eroding the surface. In another version, the cleaning solution is a solution having KOH and H2O2. The solution can be treated after cleaning the surface to recover tantalum-containing materials and one or more of the cleaning solutions.
Claims25
A method of cleaning metal-containing deposits from a surface of a process chamber component, the method comprising:
- immersing the surface of the component in a cleaning solution comprising a ratio of HF to HNO3 of from about 1:8 to about 1:30 by weight,
- whereby the metal-containing deposits can be removed from the surface substantially without eroding the surface.
A method of cleaning metal-containing deposits from a surface of a process chamber component, the method comprising:
- immersing the surface of the component in a solution comprising a ratio of KOH to H2O2 of from about 6:1 to about 10:1 by moles,
- whereby the metal-containing deposits can be removed from the surface substantially without eroding the surface.
A method of cleaning tantalum-containing deposits from a metal surface of a process chamber component, the method comprising:
- (a) immersing the metal surface in an electrochemical etching bath solution;
- and
- (b) electrically biasing the metal surface to electrochemically etch the tantalum-containing deposits from the metal surface.
A method of cleaning tantalum-containing and other metal-containing deposits from a surface of a process chamber component and recovering tantalum-containing material, the method comprising:
- (a) immersing the surface of the component in acidic or basic cleaning solution, thereby dissolving the tantalum-containing and other metal-containing deposits on the surface to form tantalum-containing and metal-containing compounds, respectively;
- and
- (b) treating the solution to recover the tantalum-containing compounds by:
- (i) adding a precipitating agent to the solution, thereby forming mixed solids comprising the tantalum-containing and metal-containing compounds;
- (ii) filtering the mixed solids from the solution;
- (iii) adding a metal-selective acid solution to the mixed solids, the metal-selective acid solution comprising a metal-selective acid that dissolves the metal-containing compounds substantially without dissolving the tantalum-containing compounds;
- and
- (iv) separating the tantalum-containing compounds from the dissolved metal-containing compounds.
A method of cleaning tantalum-containing deposits from a surface of a process chamber component and recovering tantalum-containing material, the method comprising:
- (a) immersing the surface of the component in an aqueous cleaning solution comprising an acid or a base, thereby dissolving the tantalum-containing deposits on the surface to form tantalum-containing compounds in the solution;
- and
- (b) treating the aqueous cleaning solution to recover tantalum-containing compounds by:
- (i) combining the aqueous cleaning solution with an organic solution, the organic solution being capable of extracting the tantalum-containing compounds from the aqueous cleaning solution;
- (ii) separating the organic solution from the aqueous cleaning solution;
- and
- (iii) pyrohydrolytically decomposing the tantalum-containing compounds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.