Contact clean by remote plasma and repair of silicide surface

A method for treating a metal silicide contact, comprising:

• cooling a substrate to an initial temperature of less than 65° C., wherein the substrate comprises an oxide layer disposed on a metal silicide contact surface;
• igniting a plasma to form reactive species from a gas mixture of ammonia and nitrogen trifluoride;
• maintaining the substrate at the initial temperature while exposing the oxide layer to the reactive species and forming a thin film from the oxide layer;
• heating the substrate to an anneal temperature sufficient to dissociate or sublime the thin film while removing the thin film and forming a cleaned silicide contact surface;
• and
• exposing the cleaned silicide contact surface to a silicon-containing compound to form a recovered silicide contact surface during a regeneration process, wherein the silicon-containing compound comprises silane or disilane.

A method for treating a metal silicide contact, comprising:

• cooling a substrate comprising an oxide layer disposed on a metal silicide contact surface to an initial temperature within a range from about 15° C. to less than 65° C.;
• forming reactive species in a plasma from a gas mixture of ammonia and nitrogen trifluoride;
• maintaining the substrate at the initial temperature while exposing the oxide layer to the reactive species and forming a thin film from the oxide layer;
• heating the substrate to an anneal temperature sufficient to dissociate or sublime the thin film while removing the thin film and forming a cleaned silicide contact surface;
• and
• exposing the cleaned silicide contact surface to a silicon-containing compound to form a recovered silicide contact surface during a regeneration process, wherein the silicon-containing compound comprises silane.