US5676759A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Plasma dry cleaning of semiconductor processing chambers
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1995-05-17
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Granted: 1997-10-14
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Expires: 2015-05-17
Abstract
Abstract The plasma dry cleaning rate of semiconductor process chamber walls can be improved by placing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in the position which was occupied by the workpiece during semiconductor processing. The non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material is either capable generating dry cleaning reactive species and/or of reducing the consumption of the dry cleaning reactive species generated from the plasma gas feed to the process chamber. When process chamber non-volatile contaminant deposits are removed from plasma process chamber surfaces during plasma dry cleaning by placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the plasma process chamber, the non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material need not be located upon or adjacent the workpiece support platform: however, this location provides excellent cleaning results in typical process chamber designs.
Inventors
- 👤 Yan Ye
- 👤 Charles Steven Rhoades
- 👤 Gerald Z. Yin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 02:38
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32431; H01J37/32798; H01J37/32853; H01J37/32862; H10; H10P; H10P70/00; H10P70/10; H10P70/12; B; B08; B08B; B08B7/00; B08B7/0035; C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/4401; C23C16/4405; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0402; H10P72/0406; H10P72/0408; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/905
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of determining whether a non-gaseous material is capable of generating at least one volatile, reactive species which acts upon an involatile semiconductor process chamber contaminant to render said involatile contaminant volatile, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a non-gaseous source of reactive species generating material; (b) placing said non-gaseous source of reactive species generating material in a proper position for evaluation within a semiconductor process chamber which contains at least one surface exhibiting said involatile semiconductor process chamber contaminant; (c) exposing said non-gaseous source of reactive species generating material to a plasma generated from a gas fed into said process chamber, whereby volatile reactive species are generated; and (d) using optical emission spectra techniques to monitor volatile molecules adjacent said at least one surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
132 words
A method of determining whether a non-gaseous material is capable of generating at least one volatile, reactive species which acts upon an involatile semiconductor process chamber contaminant to render said involatile contaminant volatile, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a non-gaseous source of reactive species generating material; (b) placing said non-gaseous source of reactive species generating material in a proper position for evaluation within a semiconductor process chamber which contains at least one surface exhibiting said involatile semiconductor process chamber contaminant; (c) exposing said non-gaseous source of reactive species generating material to a plasma generated from a gas fed into said process chamber, whereby volatile reactive species are generated; and (d) using optical emission spectra techniques to monitor volatile molecules adjacent said at least one surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said determination is carried out without a workpiece in said semiconductor process chamber, and wherein said non-gaseous material is placed in said semiconductor process chamber at a location which would be occupied by a workpiece during processing of a workpiece.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said optical emission spectra techniques include the comparison an emission spectra of volatile compounds found at said surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant with an emission spectra of volatile compounds found at a surface free from said involatile contaminant.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said optical emission spectra techniques include making a comparison between the emission spectra of volatile compounds found at said surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant when said non-gaseous material is present and when said non-gaseous material is not present in said semiconductor process chamber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said optical emission spectra techniques include a determination of a quantity of a volatile molecule adjacent said surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of determining whether a non-gaseous material is capable of enhancing plasma dry cleaning activity upon semiconductor process chamber walls, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material which can be used in a semiconductor process chamber; (b) placing said non gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in a proper position for evaluation within a semiconductor process chamber containing at least one surface exhibiting an involatile contaminant; (c) exposing said non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material to a plasma generated from a gas fed into said chamber; and (d) using optical emission spectra techniques to monitor volatile molecules adjacent said at least one surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
113 words
A method of determining whether a non-gaseous material is capable of enhancing plasma dry cleaning activity upon semiconductor process chamber walls, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material which can be used in a semiconductor process chamber; (b) placing said non gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in a proper position for evaluation within a semiconductor process chamber containing at least one surface exhibiting an involatile contaminant; (c) exposing said non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material to a plasma generated from a gas fed into said chamber; and (d) using optical emission spectra techniques to monitor volatile molecules adjacent said at least one surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said determination is carried out without a workpiece in said semiconductor process chamber, and wherein said non-gaseous material is placed in said semiconductor process chamber at a location which would be occupied by a workpiece during processing of a workpiece.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said optical emission spectra techniques include a determination of a quantity of a volatile molecule adjacent said surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said optical emission spectra techniques include the comparison an emission spectra of volatile compounds found at said surface exhibiting said involatile contaminant with an emission spectra of volatile compounds found at a surface of said non-gaseous material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 9, wherein said optical emission spectra techniques include a determination of a quantity of a volatile molecule adjacent said surface of said non-gaseous material.
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