Reduction of reactive gas attack on substrate heater

• US 20060005856A1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Janakiraman, Karthik, Ingle, Nitin, Sun, David, Harvey, Keith
• Application Number:
  US10/882,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20060005856A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0035 by radiant energy, e.g. UV, laser, light beam or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32477 characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32862 In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of reducing damage to the substrate support by the cleaning gas during a cleaning process of the processing chamber, such as by reducing aluminum fluoride formation on the substrate support. In one embodiment, a method of cleaning a semiconductor process chamber which is used for processing a substrate disposed on a surface of a substrate support comprises introducing a cleaning gas into a process chamber through an inlet facing a surface of a substrate support. The inlet is spaced from the surface of the substrate support by a clean spacing. Reactive species are provided from the cleaning gas to clean the process chamber. The clean spacing is substantially greater than a process spacing between the inlet and the surface of the substrate support during processing of a substrate on the substrate support in the process chamber.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning a semiconductor process chamber which is used for processing a substrate disposed on a surface of a substrate support, the method comprising:

introducing a cleaning gas into a process chamber through an inlet facing a surface of a substrate support, the inlet being spaced from the surface of the substrate support by a clean spacing; and

providing reactive species from the cleaning gas to clean the process chamber;

wherein the clean spacing is substantially greater than a process spacing between the inlet and the surface of the substrate support during processing of a substrate on the substrate support in the process chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the clean spacing is at least about 4 times the process spacing.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the clean spacing is at least about 7 times the process spacing.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the reactive species comprise fluorine radicals.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the reactive species are generated by remote plasma from the cleaning gas and introduced into the process chamber through the inlet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a temperature of the substrate support during cleaning is substantially identical to a temperature of the substrate support during processing of the substrate on the substrate support.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the temperature of the substrate support during cleaning is higher than about 500°

C.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the clean spacing is at least about 1.3 inches.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the clean spacing is about 2.1 inches.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the process chamber has a pressure of about 1.5-6 torr during cleaning of the process chamber.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the reactive species are generated by remote plasma from the cleaning gas and introduced into the process chamber through the inlet.

11. A method of cleaning a semiconductor process chamber which is used for processing a substrate disposed on a surface of a substrate support, the method comprising:

introducing a cleaning gas into a process chamber through an inlet facing a surface of a substrate support, the inlet being spaced from the surface of the substrate support by a clean spacing; and

providing reactive species from the cleaning gas to clean the process chamber;

wherein the clean spacing is at least about 1.3 inches.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the clean spacing is about 2.1 inches.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the reactive species comprise fluorine radicals.

15. A method of processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed in a process chamber, the method comprising:

processing a substrate on a surface of a substrate support disposed in a process chamber by introducing a process gas into the process chamber through an inlet facing the surface of a substrate support, the inlet being spaced from the surface of the substrate support by a process spacing;

removing the substrate from the process chamber;

introducing a cleaning gas into the process chamber through the inlet facing the surface of a substrate support, the inlet being spaced from the surface of the substrate support by a clean spacing; and

providing reactive species from the cleaning gas to clean the process chamber;

wherein the clean spacing is substantially greater than the process spacing.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the clean spacing is at least about 4 times the process spacing.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the clean spacing is at least about 1.3 inches.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the reactive species comprise fluorine radicals.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein processing the substrate comprises forming a dielectric layer on the substrate.

20. A substrate processing system for processing a substrate, the system comprising:

a housing forming a chamber, the chamber including a substrate support having a surface for supporting a substrate to be processed in the chamber;

a gas distribution system configured to introduce one or more gases into the chamber via an inlet;

an adjustment mechanism coupled to the substrate support to adjust a position of the substrate support with respect to the inlet and change a spacing between the inlet and the surface of the substrate support;

a controller, including a computer, configured to control the substrate processing system; and

a memory coupled to the controller and including a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of the substrate processing system, the computer-readable program code including;

a first set of computer instructions for controlling the adjustment mechanism to provide a process spacing between the inlet and the surface of the substrate support;

a second set of computer instructions for controlling the gas distribution system to introduce a process gas into the process chamber through the inlet to process a substrate disposed on the surface of a substrate support;

a third set of computer instructions for controlling the substrate processing system to remove the substrate from the process chamber;

a fourth set of computer instructions for controlling the adjustment mechanism to provide a clean spacing between the inlet and the surface of the substrate support, the clean spacing being substantially greater than the process spacing;

a fifth set of computer instructions for controlling the gas distribution system to introduce a cleaning gas into the process chamber through the inlet facing the surface of the substrate support; and

a sixth set of computer instructions for controlling the substrate processing system to provide reactive species from the cleaning gas to clean the process chamber.