Manufacturing methods to reduce surface particle impurities after a plasma process

Abstract

Manufacturing methods are disclosed to reduce surface particle impurities after a plasma process (e.g., etch, deposition, etc.) by repelling particles trapped within particle wells to reduce surface particle impurities on microelectronic workpieces after termination of the plasma process. Rather than turn off pressure and source power at the termination of the plasma process, the disclosed embodiments first enter a sequence to adjust process parameters to repel particles in a particle well in order to reduce or eliminate the particle well prior to terminating the plasma process. During this particle repel sequence, certain disclosed embodiments adjust parameters to maintain an electrostatic field above the surface of the wafer utilizing low plasma density and ion energy conditions that help to repel particles from the microelectronic workpiece. The disclosed methods allow for the particle well to be exhausted well prior to the collapse of electrostatic forces when the plasma process is terminated.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.