Pedestal bottom clean for improved fluorine utilization and integrated symmetric foreline
OwnerGary B. Lind, Abhishek A. Manohar +2inventors
InventorsGary B. Lind, Abhishek A. Manohar, Yan Guan, Raashina Humayun
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Abstract
A technique and apparatus for cleaning the underside of a pedestal in a single- or multi-station semiconductor processing chamber or tool are provided. Also provided is an integrated vacuum foreline manifold having symmetric flow path lengths that may be used in multi-station semiconductor processing chamber or tool.
Claims24
A method of cleaning a semiconductor processing chamber containing a showerhead, a pedestal with a wafer support side facing the showerhead and an underside opposite the wafer support side, and one or more auxiliary cleaning gas ports configured to flow cleaning gas towards the underside of the showerhead, the method comprising:
- flowing a first cleaning gas from the showerhead towards the wafer support side of the pedestal;
- and
- flowing a second cleaning gas from the one or more auxiliary cleaning gas ports towards the underside of the pedestal.
A semiconductor processing chamber comprising:
- a chamber housing;
- a pedestal having a wafer support side and an underside opposite the wafer support side, the pedestal located within the chamber housing;
- and
- a plurality of auxiliary cleaning gas ports located within the chamber housing and such that the underside of the pedestal is between the wafer support side of the pedestal and the plurality of auxiliary cleaning gas ports, the auxiliary cleaning gas ports oriented to flow an auxiliary gas onto the underside of the pedestal.
A vacuum foreline manifold comprising:
- a manifold body;
- two U-shaped passages within the manifold body, wherein:
- each U-shaped passage has two manifold vacuum ports passing out of the manifold body, and
- each of the two manifold vacuum ports is located at a different end of the U-shaped passage;
- a bridging passage within the manifold body, wherein:
- the bridging passage has a first end and a second end,
- the first end of the bridging passage is fluidly connected with one of the U-shaped passages at the U-shaped passage's midpoint, and
- the second end of the bridging passage is fluidly connected with the other U-shaped passage at the other U-shaped passage's midpoint;
- and
- a feed passage, wherein:
- the feed passage is fluidly connected to the bridging passage at the bridging passage's midpoint, and
- the feed passage, the bridging passage, and the U-shaped passages all follow two-dimensional paths in the same plane or parallel planes.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.