US5326723A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for improving stability of tungsten chemical vapor deposition
Assignee: Intel Corp
•
Filing: 1992-09-09
•
Granted: 1994-07-05
•
Expires: 2012-09-09
Abstract
Abstract A method for cleaning a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process for depositing tungsten. After the tungsten has been deposited and the wafer has been removed from the chamber, the chamber undergoes an in-situ cleaning process. In the currently preferred embodiment the in-situ cleaning process consists of cleaning the chamber with nitrogen tri-fluoride (NF 3 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ) nitrogen (N 2 ) plasmas. The tungsten CVD cleaning process also includes purging the chamber with the dilute mixture of silane (SiH 4 ), argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N 2 ).
Inventors
- 👤 William G. Petro
- 👤 Farhad K. Moghadam
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 20:06
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0402; H10P72/0406; B; B08; B08B; B08B7/00; B08B7/0035; C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/4401; C23C16/4405; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/905
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
52 words
A process for cleaning a chemical vapored deposition (CVD) chamber used in tungsten CVD in the fabrication of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of: removing the wafer from the CVD chamber; cleaning of the chamber with at least one plasma; and purging the chamber with a mixture of silane and argon.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
52 words
A process for cleaning a chemical vapored deposition (CVD) chamber used in tungsten CVD in the fabrication of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of: removing the wafer from the CVD chamber; cleaning of the chamber with at least one plasma; and purging the chamber with a mixture of silane and argon.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of cleaning the chamber comprises in-situ cleaning of the chamber with nitrous fluoride (NF 3 ) and hydrogen (H 2 ) plasma.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of purging occurs at a predetermined pressure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process as defined in claim 3 wherein the predetermined pressure is from 0.1-5 Torr.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process as defined in claim 1 wherein the mixture of silane, and argon gases comprises one to two percent silane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
In the fabrication of the semiconductor wafer, a tungsten CVD process comprising the steps of: depositing tungsten on the wafer; removing the wafer from the chamber; in-situ cleaning of the chamber with nitrous fluoride and hydrogen plasmas; and purging the chamber with a mixture of silane, nitrogen and argon gases at a pressure, wherein the silane comprises between one and two percent of the mixture.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
In the fabrication of the semiconductor wafer, a tungsten CVD process comprising the steps of: depositing tungsten on the wafer; removing the wafer from the chamber; in-situ cleaning of the chamber with nitrous fluoride and hydrogen plasmas; and purging the chamber with a mixture of silane, nitrogen and argon gases at a pressure, wherein the silane comprises between one and two percent of the mixture.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process as defined in claim 5 wherein in the step of cleaning includes: cleaning a chamber with nitrous fluoride plasma and then cleaning the chamber with the H 2 plasma.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process as defined in claim 5 wherein the predetermined pressures between 0.1-5 Torr.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
69 words
In the fabrication of semiconductor wafer, a tungsten CVD process comprising the steps of: depositing tungsten on the wafer; removing the wafer from the chamber; cleaning the chamber with nitrous fluoride plasma; cleaning the chamber with hydrogen plasma; and purging the chamber with the mixture of silane, nitrogen and argon gases at a pressure between 0.1-5 Torr, wherein the silane is between one and two percent of the mixture.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
69 words
In the fabrication of semiconductor wafer, a tungsten CVD process comprising the steps of: depositing tungsten on the wafer; removing the wafer from the chamber; cleaning the chamber with nitrous fluoride plasma; cleaning the chamber with hydrogen plasma; and purging the chamber with the mixture of silane, nitrogen and argon gases at a pressure between 0.1-5 Torr, wherein the silane is between one and two percent of the mixture.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
A tungsten CVD process in the fabrication of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of: depositing tungsten on the wafer; removing the wafer from the chamber; in-situ cleaning of the chamber; and purging the chamber with a mixture of silane, nitrogen and argon gases.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
A tungsten CVD process in the fabrication of a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of: depositing tungsten on the wafer; removing the wafer from the chamber; in-situ cleaning of the chamber; and purging the chamber with a mixture of silane, nitrogen and argon gases.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3892650A
Cited
US4563367A
Cited
US5041311A
Cited
US5043299A
Cited
US5043299B1
Cited
US5180432A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-07-04 | 1998-01-03 | 1998-07-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-07-04 | 2002-01-03 | 2002-07-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-07-04 | 2006-01-03 | 2006-07-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |