Semiconductor substrate dry cleaning method

A method for cleaning a semiconductor substrate prior to a thermal process consisting of:

• introducing a semiconductor substrate into a semiconductor substrate processing chamber, the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor substrate processing chamber being maintained at a temperature not exceeding about 800 degrees centigrade;
• introducing into the semiconductor substrate processing chamber substantially simultaneously with the semiconductor substrate a low flow of a first oxidant gas, the first oxidant gas being oxygen gas, the low flow of the first oxidant gas being immediately followed by a high flow of a second oxidant gas;
• introducing into the semiconductor substrate processing chamber no earlier than the high flow of the second oxidant gas a flow of a chlorine containing getter material, the difference in time between introducing the high flow of the second oxidant gas and introducing the flow of the chlorine containing getter material being a time delay;
• exposing the semiconductor substrate to the high flow of the second oxidant gas and the flow of the chlorine containing getter material at the temperature not exceeding about 800 degrees centigrade for a time period sufficient to remove from the semiconductor substrate organic contaminant residues and remove from or stabilize upon the semiconductor substrate metallic species which are detrimental to integrated circuit devices subsequently formed upon the semiconductor substrate, where the organic contaminant residues are removed from the semiconductor substrate and the metallic species are removed from or stabilized upon the semiconductor substrate without carbonizing the organic contaminant residues;
• and
• exposing then the semiconductor substrate to a thermal process.

A method for cleaning in-situ and subsequently thermally processing a semiconductor substrate consisting of:

• introducing a semiconductor substrate into a semiconductor substrate processing chamber, the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor substrate processing chamber being maintained at a temperature not exceeding about 800 degrees centigrade;
• introducing into the semiconductor substrate processing chamber substantially simultaneously with the semiconductor substrate a low flow of a first oxidant gas, the first oxidant gas being oxygen gas, the low flow of the first oxidant gas being immediately followed by a high flow of a second oxidant gas;
• introducing into the semiconductor substrate processing chamber no earlier than the high flow of the second oxidant gas a flow of a chlorine containing getter material, the difference in time between introducing the high flow of the second oxidant gas and introducing the flow of the chlorine containing getter material being a time delay;
• exposing the semiconductor substrate to the high flow of the second oxidant gas and the flow of the chlorine containing getter material at the temperature not exceeding about 800 degrees centigrade for a time period sufficient to remove from the semiconductor substrate organic contaminant residues and remove from or stabilize upon the semiconductor substrate metallic species which are detrimental to integrated circuit devices subsequently formed upon the semiconductor substrate, where the organic contaminant residues are removed from the semiconductor substrate and the metallic species are removed from or stabilized upon the semiconductor substrate without carbonizing the organic contaminant residues;
• and
• exposing then in-situ the semiconductor substrate to a thermal process.