Novel methods for cleaning ion implanter components

• US 20060086376A1
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. (Entegris Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bishop, Steven, Dimeo, Frank Jr., Kaim, Robert, Dietz, James A., Olander, W. Karl, Neuner, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,819,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/22.100
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/564 Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23G 5/00 Cleaning or de-greasing metallic material by other methods; Apparatus for cleaning or de-greasing metallic material with organic solvents
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/022 Avoiding or removing foreign or contaminating particles, debris or deposits on sample or tube
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31701 Ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/08 Ion sources; Ion guns
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32862 In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts

Abstract

A method and apparatus for cleaning residue from components of an ion source region of an ion implanter used in the fabrication of microelectronic devices. To effectively remove residue, the components are contacted with a gas-phase reactive halide composition for sufficient time and under sufficient conditions to at least partially remove the residue. The gas-phase reactive halide composition is chosen to react selectively with the residue, while not reacting with the components of the ion source region or the vacuum chamber.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning at least one component of a semiconductor manufacturing tool, said method comprising:

(a) introducing an etchant gas from an etchant container into a vacuum chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing tool;

(b) terminating introduction of the etchant gas into the vacuum chamber upon attainment of a predetermined pressure in the vacuum chamber; and

(c) reacting the etchant gas with a residue in the vacuum chamber for a sufficient time to at least partially remove the residue from the interior of the vacuum chamber or at least one component contained therein;

wherein the etchant gas is chosen to react selectively with the residue in the vacuum chamber, while being essentially non-reactive with the interior of the vacuum chamber or the components contained therein.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing tool is an ion implanter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the component is an ion source region component of the ion implanter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the etchant gas comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of XeF₂, XeF₆, NF₃, IF₅, IF₇, SF₆, C₂F₆ and F₂.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the etchant gas comprises XeF₂.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the residue comprises an element selected from the group consisting of silicon, boron, phosphorus, germanium and arsenic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pressure is subatmospheric.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined pressure is from about 0.3 Torr to about 4.0 Torr.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein an ion source in the ion source region comprises a source selected from the group consisting of an indirectly heated cathode source, a Freeman source and a Bernas source.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said time is from about 0.5 minute to about 5 minutes.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising (d) evacuating the vacuum chamber following completion of said reacting.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising repeating (a) through (d) at least once.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the etchant container contains an etchant material, and wherein the etchant container is heated by a heating means to increase the rate of physical conversion of the etchant material into the etchant gas.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the heating means are selected from the group consisting of an oven and heater wires.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein an inert gas is introduced into the etchant container to transport the etchant gas to the vacuum chamber.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the inert gas comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of argon, nitrogen, xenon and helium.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the etchant container is positioned in the vacuum chamber or positioned upstream of the vacuum chamber.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the etchant container contains a pre-measured amount of an etchant material for generation of the etchant gas in the vacuum chamber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the etchant material is a solid or a liquid.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the etchant material is pelletized XeF₂.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction of the etchant gas with the residue is effectuated without energetic activation.

22. A method of cleaning an ion source region of a semiconductor manufacturing tool, said method comprising:

(a) introducing an etchant material from an etchant container into a vacuum chamber of the ion source region;

(b) terminating introduction of the etchant gas into the vacuum chamber upon attainment of a predetermined pressure;

(c) dissociating the etchant material into a reactive halide species in the vacuum chamber using a plasma means positioned in said vacuum chamber; and

(d) reacting the reactive halide species with a residue in the vacuum chamber for a sufficient time to at least partially remove the residue from the vacuum chamber.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the etchant material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of XeF₂, XeF₆, NF₃, IF₅, IF₇, SF₆, C₂F₆ and F₂.

24. An apparatus for cleaning a vacuum chamber of an ion source region of a semiconductor manufacturing tool, said apparatus comprising:

(a) an etchant material source having an etchant material disposed therein, wherein the etchant material source is communicatively connected to, and is situated upstream of, the vacuum chamber; and

(b) a valve between the etchant material source and the vacuum chamber;

wherein said apparatus is further characterized by comprising at least one of the following components (I) and (II);

(I) a heating means for the etchant material source; and

(II) an inert gas source having an inert gas disposed therein, wherein the inert gas source is communicatively connected to, and is situated upstream of, the etchant material source.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the etchant material comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of XeF₂, XeF₆, NF₃, IF₅, IF₇, SF₆, C₂F₆ and F₂.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the ion source region comprises an ion source selected from the group consisting of an indirectly heated cathode source, a Freeman source and a Bernas source.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the heating means comprises means selected from the group consisting of an oven and heater wires.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the inert gas comprises nitrogen, argon, xenon, or helium.

29. A method of ex situ cleaning at least one component of a semiconductor manufacturing tool, said method comprising:

(a) positioning the component in an ex situ vacuum chamber;

(b) introducing an etchant gas from an etchant container into the ex situ vacuum chamber;

(c) terminating introduction of the etchant gas into the vacuum chamber upon attainment of a predetermined pressure in the vacuum chamber; and

(d) reacting the etchant gas with a residue in the vacuum chamber for a sufficient time to at least partially remove the residue from the at least one component contained therein;

wherein the etchant gas is chosen to react selectively with the residue on the at least one component, while being essentially non-reactive with the interior of the vacuum chamber and the component material itself.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing tool is an ion implanter.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the component comes from an ion source region.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the etchant gas comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of XeF₂, XeF₆, NF₃, IF₅, IF₇, SF₆, C₂F₆ and F₂.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the etchant gas comprises XeF₂.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the residue comprises an element selected from the group consisting of silicon, boron, phosphorus, germanium and arsenic.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the predetermined pressure is subatmospheric.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the predetermined pressure is from about 0.3 Torr to about 4.0 Torr.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the ion source region comprises an ion source selected from the group consisting of an indirectly heated cathode source, a Freeman source and a Bernas source.

38. The method of claim 29, wherein said time is from about 0.5 minute to about 5 minutes.

39. The method of claim 29, further comprising (e) evacuating the vacuum chamber following completion of said reacting.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising repeating (b) through (e) at least once.