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AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsDavid Trussell, C. Robert Koemtzopoulos, Felix Kozakevich
Estimating the term…
A method and arrangement for the insitu cleaning of a chamber in which process gas is injected into the chamber through gas injection ports. Separate gas injection ports through which process gas and the cleaning gas are injected into the chamber are provided. The process gas is injected into the chamber, such as a plasma chamber, through a first gas injection port while the cleaning gas, which cleans the residue left by the process gas during the deposition process, is injected into the chamber through the second gas injection port that is separate from the first gas injection port through which the process gas is injected. The separation of the gas injection ports provides an equalized pressure within the jet screw ports for the process gas and the interior of the chamber. This allows the jet screw ports to be maximally cleaned and reduces the frequency of replacement of the jet screw ports in the chamber.
A method of unclogging a first port in a vacuum chamber for processing workpieces, the first port injecting gas into the chamber, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of processing workpieces in a vacuum plasma processing chamber and cleaning the chamber while the workpieces are not being processed comprising
A method of cleaning a vacuum processing chamber between workpiece processing operations wherein the workpiece processing is performed by supplying processing gas to the chamber via a first port while the chamber is in vacuo, the processing gas having a tendency to leave a clogging residue in the first port, the chamber including a second port separate from the first port, the method comprising applying r.f. plasma excitation power to a structure including the first port while introducing a cleaning gas into the chamber via the second port while the chamber remains in vacuo and the processing gas is not supplied to the chamber so pressure is equalized at the first port and the cleaning gas cleans the first port of the clogging residue as well as the remainder of the chamber. , the cleaning gas being converted to a plasma by r.f. plasma excitation power applied to it via the structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.