US5685916A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dry cleaning of semiconductor processing chambers
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1995-07-07
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Granted: 1997-11-11
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Expires: 2015-07-07
Abstract
Abstract In accordance with the present invention, 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 of 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 loacted 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
2026-11-08 14:56
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: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A method for the plasma cleaning of surfaces of a semiconductor process chamber having involatile contaminants deposited thereon, said process comprising the steps of: (a) placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the processing chamber, the source being adequate to provide reactive species generation for at least one complete plasma cleaning operation; (b) exposing said non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material to a plasma generated from a gas fed into said processing chamber, whereby volatile reactive species are generated; and (c) contacting said semiconductor processing chamber surfaces with said plasma further comprising said volatile reactive species generated in step b) from said non-gaseous source, whereby at least a portion of said involatile contaminants residing on said surfaces are converted to volatile molecules by said plasma comprising said volatile reactive species.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
130 words
A method for the plasma cleaning of surfaces of a semiconductor process chamber having involatile contaminants deposited thereon, said process comprising the steps of: (a) placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the processing chamber, the source being adequate to provide reactive species generation for at least one complete plasma cleaning operation; (b) exposing said non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material to a plasma generated from a gas fed into said processing chamber, whereby volatile reactive species are generated; and (c) contacting said semiconductor processing chamber surfaces with said plasma further comprising said volatile reactive species generated in step b) from said non-gaseous source, whereby at least a portion of said involatile contaminants residing on said surfaces are converted to volatile molecules by said plasma comprising said volatile reactive species.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said source of reactive-species-generating material is a solid disk or sheet of material having a constant composition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said source of reactive-species-generating material is a non-species-generating substrate having a coating of said reactive-species-generating material deposited upon said substrate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said source of reactive-species-generating material is a liquid contained within a support structure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said plasma generated in step (b) from said gas fed into said process chamber also acts upon at least a portion of said involatile contaminants to render said involatile contaminants volatile.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said reactive-species-generating material is a carbon-comprising polymer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said, carbon-containing polymer is a photoresist material, and wherein said reactive species generated from said photoresist material migrates to a surface of said semiconductor processing chamber to react with said involatile contaminants on said surface, whereby at least a portion of said involatile contaminants are converted to volatile materials.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said carbon-comprising polymer is a polyimide, a photoresist comprising a phenyl formaldehyde novalac, or a polymer generated using CHF 3 as a starting material.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-11-10 | 2001-05-12 | 2001-11-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-11-10 | 2005-05-12 | 2005-11-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-11-10 | 2009-05-12 | 2009-11-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |