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US 5,679,215 AGranted
Method of in situ cleaning a vacuum plasma processing chamber
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsMichael S. Barnes, Arthur Kenichi Yasuda
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AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsMichael S. Barnes, Arthur Kenichi Yasuda
Estimating the term…
Surfaces having semiconductor oxides, metal oxides and hydrocarbons deposited thereon in a vacuum plasma processing chamber are in situ cleaned by introducing water vapor and SF.sub.6 and/or NF.sub.3 gas in the presence of a plasma discharge. The vapor and gas react to form gaseous HF, and an acidic gas including at least one of H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 and HNO.sub.3. The discharge ionizes and dissociates the HF and acidic gases to form gaseous reactants for the deposits. The reactants chemically react with the deposits, including the oxides and hydrocarbons, to vaporize these deposits. The vaporized deposits are pumped out of the chamber by the same pump which normally evacuates the chamber to a vacuum. Oxygen and/or H.sub.2 O.sub.2 vapors are introduced in the presence of the plasma to additionally clean the surfaces.
A method of in situ cleaning deposits from interior surfaces forming a vacuum plasma processing chamber, the surfaces having at least one of an oxide and hydrocarbon deposited thereon, comprising
A method of in situ removing deposits from interior surfaces forming a vacuum plasma processing chamber comprising causing water vapor and at least one of NF.sub.3 and SF.sub.6 gas to be in the chamber in vacuo in the presence of a plasma discharge to form vaporous reactants for the deposits, the vaporous reactants reacting with the deposits to form vaporous reaction products, and pumping the vaporous reaction products from the vacuum chamber in vacuo.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.