Method for etching high dielectric constant materials and for cleaning deposition chambers for high dielectric constant materials

A process for removing a substance from at least a portion of the surface of a reaction chamber, said process comprising:

• providing a reactor chamber wherein at least a portion of the surface is at least partially coated with the substance and wherein the substance has a dielectric constant of 4.1 or greater and is at least one member of the group consisting of a transition metal oxide, a transition metal silicate, a Group 13 metal oxide, a Group 13 metal silicate, a nitrogen containing transition metal oxide, a nitrogen containing transition metal silicate, or a laminate comprising at least one layer of the group consisting of a transition metal oxide, a transition metal silicate, a Group 13 metal oxide, a Group 13 metal silicate, a nitrogen containing Group 13 metal oxide, a nitrogen containing Group 13 metal silicate, a nitrogen containing transition metal oxide, a nitrogen containing transition metal silicate;
• introducing a reactive agent into the reaction chamber wherein the reactive agent comprises at least one fluoride containing compound and at least one other compound comprising BCl3 wherein the amount of fluorine-containing compound is less than 50% by volume of an amount of the at least one other compound;
• exposing the reactive agent to one or more energy sources sufficient to react the substance with the reactive agent and form a volatile product;
• and
• removing the volatile product from the reaction chamber.