Method for cleaning a CVD chamber
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsMaosheng Zhao, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Inna Shmurun, Soova Sen, Mao D. Lim, Shankar Venkataraman, Ju-Hyung Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is a method and apparatus for cleaning a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber using cleaning gas energized to a plasma in a gas mixing volume separated by an electrode from a reaction volume of the chamber. In one embodiment, a source of RF power is coupled to a lid of the chamber, while a switch is used to couple a showerhead to ground terminals or the source of RF power.
Claims11
A method for plasma cleaning a chamber after processing a substrate, comprising:
- providing said substrate to the chamber, said chamber having a first portion comprising a substrate support pedestal, a second portion comprising a lid having a source of radio-frequency power, and a blocking plate electrode and a gas distribution plate electrode defining a first volume, wherein the gas distribution plate electrode is electrically isolated from the first portion and disposed between the first portion and the lid, and the gas distribution plate electrode and the substrate support pedestal defining a second volume;
- grounding the substrate pedestal through a switch in a first position;
- supplying a processing gas into the chamber and second volume;
- applying a radio-freguency power from said source to the second portion;
- energizing the processing gas to a plasma in the second volume;
- and
- performing a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process in the second volume;
- removing the substrate from the processing chamber;
- grounding the gas distribution plate electrode through a switch in a second position;
- supplying a cleaning gas into the chamber and the first volume;
- applying radio-frequency power from said source to the lid and blocking plate electrode;
- and
- energizing the cleaning gas to a plasma in the first volume.
A method for plasma cleaning a chamber and processing a substrate, comprising:
- providing said substrate to the chamber, said chamber having a first portion comprising a substrate support pedestal, a second portion comprising a lid having a source of radio-frequency power, a blocking plate electrode and a gas distribution plate electrode defining a first volume, and a ground reference, wherein the gas distribution plate electrode is electrically isolated from the first portion and within the second portion and disposed between the first portion and the lid, and the gas distribution plate electrode and the substrate support pedestal defining a second volume;
- coupling the substrate pedestal to the around reference through a switch in a first position;
- supplying a processing gas into the chamber and second volume;
- applying a radio-frequency power from said source to the second portion;
- energizing the processing gas to a plasma in the second volume;
- and
- performing a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process in the second volume;
- removing the substrate from the processing chamber;
- coupling the gas distribution plate electrode to the ground reference;
- supplying a cleaning gas into the chamber and the first volume;
- applying radio-frequency power from said source of at least 500 W and between about 50 kHz and about 13.56 MHz to the lid and blocking plate electrode;
- and
- energizing the cleaning gas to a plasma in the first volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.