Plasma reactors and method of cleaning a plasma reactor

Claim 1

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of an inductively coupled plasma reactor, after dry etching a wafer by injecting an etching gas into the reactor and applying electrical current to inductive coils to ionize the etching gas into a plasma, the method comprising the following steps: injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor, the cleaning gas comprising a species which when ionized is reactive with material adhering to the internal plasma reactor walls; and generating a capacitive coupling effect between a pair of conductors, different from the inductive coils, at least one of which conductors is positioned externally of the plasma reactor, effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the external conductor to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 2

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of an inductively coupled plasma reactor, after dry etching a wafer by injecting an etching gas into the reactor and applying electrical current to inductive coils to ionize the etching gas into a plasma, the method comprising the following steps: injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor, the cleaning gas comprising a species which when ionized is reactive with material adhering to the internal plasma reactor walls; and generating a capacitive coupling effect between a pair of conductors, different from the inductive coils, at least one of which conductors is positioned externally of the plasma reactor, effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the external conductor to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 7

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of a plasma reactor and of dry etching a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the following steps: positioning a wafer to be dry etched into a plasma reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, injecting an etching gas into the reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, applying electrical current to inductive coils positioned externally of the reactor cavity to ionize etching gas therein into a plasma state; with the wafer so positioned, providing an electrostatic barrier plate at ground potential between the cavity and the inductive coils to shield the reactor cavity from capacitive electrostatic charge during etching; after etching the wafer with the ionized etching gas, removing the wafer from the plasma reactor; with the wafer removed, injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor, the cleaning gas comprising a species which when ionized is reactive with material adhering to the internal plasma reactor walls; and applying radio frequency power to the electrostatic barrier plate to produce an electrostatic capacitive coupling effect between the electrostatic barrier plate and a conductor in the reactor which electrostatic capacitive coupling effect is effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the electrostatic barrier plate to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 8

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of a plasma reactor and of dry etching a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the following steps: positioning a wafer to be dry etched into a plasma reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, injecting an etching gas into the reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, applying electrical current to inductive coils positioned externally of the reactor cavity to ionize etching gas therein into a plasma state; with the wafer so positioned, providing an electrostatic barrier plate at ground potential between the cavity and the inductive coils to shield the reactor cavity from capacitive electrostatic charge during etching; after etching the wafer with the ionized etching gas, removing the wafer from the plasma reactor; with the wafer removed, injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor, the cleaning gas comprising a species which when ionized is reactive with material adhering to the internal plasma reactor walls; and applying radio frequency power to the electrostatic barrier plate to produce an electrostatic capacitive coupling effect between the electrostatic barrier plate and a conductor in the reactor which electrostatic capacitive coupling effect is effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the electrostatic barrier plate to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 12

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of a plasma reactor and of dry etching a semiconductor wafer, the reactor having a reactor wall defining a reactor cavity, the reactor having a conductor in the reactor cavity, the reactor having inductive coils positioned externally of the reactor wall, and the reactor having a capacitive coupling plate positioned between the inductive coils and the reactor wall, the method comprising the following steps: positioning a wafer to be dry etched into the cavity, with the wafer supported by the conductor; with the wafer so supported, injecting an etching gas into the reactor cavity; with the wafer so supported, connecting the coupling plate to ground potential to shield the reactor cavity from capacitive electrostatic charge during etching and applying electrical current to the inductive coils to ionize etching gas in the reactor cavity into a plasma state; terminating the application of power to the inductive coils after the shielding and etching step; injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor after terminating the application of power; and applying power to the electrostatic barrier plate to produce an electrostatic capacitive coupling effect between the electrostatic barrier plate and the conductor in the reactor which electrostatic capacitive coupling effect is effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the electrostatic barrier plate to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 13

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of a plasma reactor and of dry etching a semiconductor wafer, the reactor having a reactor wall defining a reactor cavity, the reactor having a conductor in the reactor cavity, the reactor having inductive coils positioned externally of the reactor wall, and the reactor having a capacitive coupling plate positioned between the inductive coils and the reactor wall, the method comprising the following steps: positioning a wafer to be dry etched into the cavity, with the wafer supported by the conductor; with the wafer so supported, injecting an etching gas into the reactor cavity; with the wafer so supported, connecting the coupling plate to ground potential to shield the reactor cavity from capacitive electrostatic charge during etching and applying electrical current to the inductive coils to ionize etching gas in the reactor cavity into a plasma state; terminating the application of power to the inductive coils after the shielding and etching step; injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor after terminating the application of power; and applying power to the electrostatic barrier plate to produce an electrostatic capacitive coupling effect between the electrostatic barrier plate and the conductor in the reactor which electrostatic capacitive coupling effect is effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the electrostatic barrier plate to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 14

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of a plasma reactor and of dry etching a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the following steps: positioning a wafer to be dry etched into a plasma reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, injecting an etching gas into the reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, applying electrical current to inductive coils positioned externally of the reactor cavity to ionize etching gas therein into a plasma state; after etching the wafer with the ionized etching gas, removing the wafer from the plasma reactor; with the wafer removed, injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor, the cleaning gas comprising a species which when ionized is reactive with material adhering to the internal plasma reactor walls; and applying radio frequency power to a plate positioned externally of the reactor to produce an electrostatic capacitive coupling effect between the plate and another conductor which electrostatic capacitive coupling effect is effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the electrostatic barrier plate to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.

Claim 15

A method of cleaning away material adhering to internal walls of a plasma reactor and of dry etching a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the following steps: positioning a wafer to be dry etched into a plasma reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, injecting an etching gas into the reactor cavity; with the wafer so positioned, applying electrical current to inductive coils positioned externally of the reactor cavity to ionize etching gas therein into a plasma state; after etching the wafer with the ionized etching gas, removing the wafer from the plasma reactor; with the wafer removed, injecting a cleaning gas into the reactor, the cleaning gas comprising a species which when ionized is reactive with material adhering to the internal plasma reactor walls; and applying radio frequency power to a plate positioned externally of the reactor to produce an electrostatic capacitive coupling effect between the plate and another conductor which electrostatic capacitive coupling effect is effective to both ionize the cleaning gas into the reactive ionized species and draw such ionized species in the direction of the electrostatic barrier plate to impact and clean away material adhering to the reactor internal walls.