Closed loop clean gas control

• US 20060021633A1
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Harvey, Keith R.
• Application Number:
  US10/900,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20060021633A1
• 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

Abstract

A feedback loop cleaning system to remove deposits formed on interior surfaces of a processing chamber that includes a flow controller to set a flow rate for a cleaning gas mixture supplied to a plasma generating system, where the plasma generating system forms a plasma from the cleaning gas mixture, said plasma including a reactive cleaning species; a detector to generate a feedback signal having information about a concentration of a reaction product formed by a reaction of the reactive cleaning species with the deposits formed on the interior surfaces of the processing chamber; and a processor to convert the feedback signal into a control signal, wherein the control signal is used to adjust the flow rate of the cleaning gas mixture at the flow controller. Also, a method of removing deposits formed on interior surfaces of the processing chamber.

Claims

1. A method of removing deposits formed on interior surfaces of a processing chamber, the method comprising:

forming a plasma from a cleaning gas mixture, wherein the plasma includes a reactive cleaning species;

reacting the reactive cleaning species with a first portion of the deposits on the interior surfaces of the processing chamber to form a reaction product;

generating a feedback signal having information about a concentration of the reaction product; and

adjusting the flow rate for the cleaning gas mixture based on the feedback signal and reacting the reactive cleaning species with a second portion of the deposits.

2. The method of claim removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the flow rate for the cleaning gas mixture increases or decreases the flow rate.

3. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the reaction product is measured at a rate of about 1 time/second or more.

4. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the reaction product is measured continuously.

5. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the flow rate for the cleaning gas mixture based on the feedback signal is done about 1 time/second or more while the deposits are removed from the interior surfaces of the processing chamber.

6. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the flow rate for the cleaning gas mixture based on the feedback signal is done continuously while the deposits are removed from the interior surfaces of the processing chamber.

7. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃).

8. The method of removing deposits according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises argon.

9. The method of removing deposits according to claim 7, wherein a total volume of the nitrogen trifluoride used to remove the deposits is about 2000 scc or less.

10. The method of removing deposits according to claim 9, wherein the deposits are removed from the process chamber in about 50 second or less.

11. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the reaction product is silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄).

12. The method of removing deposits according to claim 11, wherein the generating of the feedback signal comprises measuring the concentration of the SiF₄ in an effluent from the processing chamber and adjusting a voltage level of the feedback signal based on the concentration measurement.

13. The method of removing deposits according to claim 12, wherein the concentration of the SiF₄ is measured using non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy (NDIR).

14. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the continuous adjustment of the flow rate for the cleaning gas mixture comprises adjusting the flow rate of a flow controller that sets the flow rate of the cleaning gas mixture.

15. The method of removing deposits according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises nitrogen (N₂).

16. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein a total gas pressure in the process chamber is about 2 Torr.

17. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the interior surfaces of the process chamber is pre-heated before the reacting of the reactive cleaning species with the deposits.

18. The method of removing deposits according to claim 1, wherein the deposits comprise silicon oxide.

19. A feedback loop cleaning process for removing silicon oxide deposits formed on interior surfaces of a processing chamber, the process comprising:

forming a plasma from a cleaning gas mixture comprising nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) and argon, wherein the plasma include reactive fluorine ions;

reacting the fluorine ions with a first portion of the silicon oxide deposits to form silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄);

generating a SiF₄ detection signal containing information on a concentration of the SiF₄ in an effluent from the processing chamber; and

adjusting the flow rate for the cleaning gas mixture based on the SiF₄ detection signal, and reacting the fluorine ions with a second portion of the silicon oxide deposits.

20. The feedback loop cleaning process according to claim 19, wherein the concentration of the SiF₄ is measured continuously.

21. The feedback loop cleaning process according to claim 19, wherein the nitrogen trifluoride used to remove the deposits is about 2000 scc or less.

22. The feedback loop cleaning process according to claim 21, wherein the deposits are removed from the process chamber in about 50 second or less.

23. A feedback loop cleaning system to remove deposits formed on interior surfaces of a processing chamber, the system comprising:

a flow controller to set a flow rate for a cleaning gas mixture supplied to a plasma generating system, wherein the plasma generating system forms a plasma from the cleaning gas mixture, said plasma including a reactive cleaning species;

a detector to generate a feedback signal having information about a concentration of a reaction product formed by a reaction of the reactive cleaning species with the deposits formed on the interior surfaces of the processing chamber; and

a processor to convert the feedback signal into a control signal, wherein the control signal is used to adjust continuously the flow rate of the cleaning gas mixture at the flow controller.

24. The feedback loop cleaning system according to claim 23, wherein the system comprises an exhaust channel coupled to the processing chamber and through which effluent that includes the reaction product exits the chamber.

25. The feedback loop cleaning system according to claim 24, wherein the detector is a non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy (NDIR) detector coupled to the exhaust channel.

26. The feedback loop cleaning system according to claim 23, wherein the plasma generating system is external to the processing chamber and the reactive cleaning species flows from the plasma generating system into the processing chamber to react with the deposits.

27. The feedback loop cleaning system according to claim 23, wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) and argon.

28. The feedback loop cleaning system according to claim 23, wherein the reaction product is silicon tetrafluoride (SiF₄).