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US 8,911,559 B2Granted
Method to pre-heat and stabilize etching chamber condition and improve mean time between cleaning
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsYu Chao Lin, Ryan Chia-Jen Chen, Yih-Ann Lin, Jr Jung Lin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for cleaning an etching chamber is disclosed. The method comprises providing an etching chamber; introducing a first gas comprising an inert gas into the etching chamber for a first period of time; and transporting a first wafer into the etching chamber after the first period of time, wherein the first wafer undergoes an etching process.
Claims15
A method for pre-conditioning and stabilizing an etching chamber, the method comprising:
- providing the etching chamber initializing a cleaning process of the etching chamber by;
- introducing a first gas comprising only argon gas into the etching chamber, wherein the first gas is introduced having the etching chamber at a temperature that maintains the walls of the etching chamber at a temperature of approximately 50° C. to 80° C. until the stopping of introducing the first gas wherein introducing the first gas comprises utilizing a source power of approximately 100 to about 3000 Watts and bias power of approximately 0 Watts;
- after stopping introducing the first gas continuing the cleaning process by, introducing a second gas for a second time period, wherein the second gas is operable to clean the etching chamber and includes at least one of CF4 and Ar and CF4 and O2;
- and
- transporting a first wafer into the etching chamber after the first period of time, wherein the first wafer undergoes an etching process.
2 more elements
A method for cleaning an etching chamber, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of wafer lots including at least one wafer;
- transporting the at least one wafer of each of the plurality of wafer lots into the etching chamber, wherein the at least one wafer of each of the plurality of wafer lots undergoes an etching process initializing a cleaning process of the etching chamber by;
- introducing a first gas comprising only an inert gas of argon into the etching chamber prior to transporting the at least one wafer of each of the plurality of wafer lots into the etching chamber wherein introducing the first gas comprises maintaining the walls of the etching chamber to a temperature of approximately 50° C. to approximately 80° C. and wherein introducing the first gas comprises utilizing a source power of approximately 100 to about 3000 Watts and bias power of approximately 0 Watts for approximately 600 seconds;
- and
- introducing a second gas after the first gas and prior to the transporting the at least one wafer, wherein the second gas includes at least one of SF6 and CF4.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.