Chamber and cleaning process therefor

A process for cleaning a chamber comprising:

• providing a chamber having therein:
• an interior surface, a portion thereof having a material thereon;
• and
• a reactive species;
• increasing the temperature of the material upon the portion of the interior surface of the chamber;
• bombarding the material with the reactive species within the chamber to remove the material that is upon the portion of the interior surface of the chamber.

A process for cleaning a chamber comprising:

• providing a chamber having therein:
• an interior surface, a first portion thereof having a material thereon,
• and a second portion thereof not having said material thereon;
• and
• a reactive species;
• substantially increasing the temperature of a first portion of the material upon the first portion of the interior surface of the chamber, while not substantially increasing the temperature of a second portion of the material upon the first portion of the interior surface of the chamber;
• bombarding the first portion of the material with the reactive species within the chamber to remove said first portion of the material that is upon the first portion of the interior surface of the chamber, wherein the reactive species does not substantially bombard either the second portion of the interior surface or the second portion of the material upon the first portion of the interior surface of the chamber.

A process for cleaning a chamber comprising:

• providing a chamber having an exposed interior surface therein upon which is deposited a material, and having an unexposed interior surface therein not having deposited thereon the material;
• increasing the temperature of the exposed interior surface by applying thereto a temperature pattern, while substantially maintaining as unchanged the temperature of the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber;
• creating a reactive species in the chamber;
• and
• substantially bombarding with the reactive species the material deposited on said exposed interior surface to remove therefrom the material, said reactive species not substantially bombarding the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber.

A process cleaning for a processing chamber for semiconductor wafer comprising:

• providing a processing chamber for processing semiconductor wafers, said processing chamber having an exposed interior surface therein upon which is deposited a material, and having an unexposed interior surface therein not having deposited thereon the material, and wherein the exposed interior surface of the processing chamber comprises a wafer holder, a collimator, and an interior wall of the processing chamber that is composed of a material which is substantially the same as the material deposited on said exposed interior surface of said processing chamber;
• increasing the temperature of the exposed interior surface by applying thereto a temperature pattern, while substantially maintaining as unchanged the temperature of the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber;
• creating an electrical voltage bias within the processing chamber;
• and
• flowing an ion source gas into the processing chamber to create a plasma with ions in said plasma substantially bombarding the material deposited on said exposed interior surface to remove therefrom the material, said ions in said plasma not substantially bombarding the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber.

A processing chamber comprising:

• an interior surface having an exposed portion for receiving a deposited material, said interior surface having an unexposed portion that is not to receive a deposit of said material;
• a device for increasing the temperature of the exposed portion by applying thereto a temperature pattern, while substantially maintaining as unchanged the temperature of the unexposed portion;
• a device for creating an electrical voltage bias within the chamber;
• and
• a device for flowing an ion source gas into the processing chamber and for creating a plasma such that ions in said plasma substantially bombarding the material deposited on said exposed portion so as to remove therefrom the material, said ions in said plasma not substantially bombarding the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber.

A chamber comprising:

• an interior surface having an exposed portion for receiving a deposited material, said interior surface having an unexposed portion that is not to receive a deposit of said material;
• a device for increasing the temperature of the deposited material, while substantially maintaining as unchanged the temperature of the unexposed portion;
• a device for creating an electrical voltage bias within the chamber;
• and
• a device for flowing an ion source gas into the chamber and for creating a plasma such that, after said ion source gas is flowed into the chamber, the ions in said plasma substantially bombarding the material deposited on said exposed portion as to remove therefrom the material, said ions in said plasma not substantially bombarding the unexposed interior portion.

A self cleaning processing chamber for semiconductor wafers comprising:

• an exposed interior surface upon which is deposited a material, and having an unexposed interior surface not having deposited thereon the material;
• apparatus for increasing the temperature of the exposed interior surface by applying thereto a temperature pattern, while substantially maintaining as unchanged the temperature of the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber;
• apparatus for creating an electrical voltage bias within the processing chamber;
• and
• apparatus for flowing an ion source gas into the processing chamber to create a plasma with ions in said plasma substantially bombarding the material deposited on said exposed interior surface to remove therefrom the material, said ions in said plasma not substantially bombarding the unexposed interior surface of the processing chamber.