INTEGRATED METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFICIENT REMOVAL OF HALOGEN RESIDUES FROM ETCHED SUBSTRATES

• US 20080102646A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Wen, Sandy M., Lo, Kin Pong, Kawaguchi, Mark Naoshi, Hoogensen, Brett Christian, Kim, Steven H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,655,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/725
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02057 Cleaning during device manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02071 the processing being a delineation, e.g. RIE, of conductive layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67201 characterized by the construction of the load-lock chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins

Abstract

A method and apparatus for removing volatile residues from a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, a method for volatile residues from a substrate includes providing a processing system having a load lock chamber and at least one processing chamber coupled to a transfer chamber, treating a substrate in the processing chamber with a chemistry comprising halogen, and removing volatile residues from the treated substrate in the load lock chamber.

Claims

1. A method for volatile residues from a substrate, comprising:

providing a processing system having a load lock chamber and at least one processing chamber coupled to a transfer chamber;

treating a substrate in the processing chamber with a chemistry comprising halogen; and

removing volatile residues from the treated substrate in the load lock chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the volatile residues are halogen-containing residues.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing the volatile residues from the treated substrate further comprises:

heating the treated substrate to a temperature between about 20 degrees Celsius and about 400 degrees Celsius.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing volatile residues from the substrate further comprises:

exposing the treated substrate to a gas mixture in the load lock chamber prior to venting the load lock chamber.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the gas mixture comprises at least one of O₂, O₃, water vapor (H₂O), H₂, alkanes, alkenes and nitrogen gas (N₂).

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the gas mixture comprises at least one of nitrogen gas (N₂), argon (Ar) and helium (He).

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of exposing the treated substrate to the gas mixture further comprises:

supplying the gas mixture at a flow rate between about 500 sccm and about 5000 sccm.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the gas mixture comprises an O₂ to N₂ ratio between about 1:

1 and about 1;

20.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of exposing the treated substrate further comprises:

exposing the treated substrate to the gas mixture between about 10 seconds to about 120 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing the volatile residues further comprises:

maintaining the load lock chamber at a pressure at between about 10 mTorr and about 5000 mTorr.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing volatile residues from the treated substrate further comprises:

exposing the treated substrate to a plasma in the load look chamber.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of exposing the treated substrate to the plasma further comprises:

forming the plasma in a remote plasma source.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plasma is formed from at least one of O₂, O₃, water vapor (H₂O), H₂, alkanes, alkenes, and nitrogen gas (N₂) and wherein the plasma further comprises at least one of argon (Ar) and helium (He).

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of forming the plasma further comprises:

supplying a gas mixture at a flow rate between about 500 sccm and about 5000 sccm.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of forming the plasma further comprises:

maintaining a plasma power at between about 500 Watts and 6000 Watts.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

cooling the treated substrate in the load lock chamber after the volatile residues removal step; and

removing the substrate from the load lock chamber.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of removing the volatile residues from the treated substrate further comprises:

detecting an end point of the removing step in the load lock chamber; and

transferring the substrate back into the transfer chamber.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of treating the substrate further comprising:

treating the substrate using at least one of hydrogen bromide (HBr), chlorine (Cl₂), and carbon tetrafluoride (CF₄).

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the gas mixture further comprises O₂ and water vapor (H₂O) or H₂, and wherein the etching chemistry further comprises chlorine.

20. A method for removing halogen-containing residues from a substrate, comprising:

providing a processing system having a load lock chamber and at least one processing chamber coupled to a transfer chamber;

etching a substrate in the processing chamber with chemistry comprising halogen;

removing halogen-containing residues from the etched substrate in the load lock chamber; and

cooling the substrate in the load lock chamber after the residue removing step.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of removing halogen-containing residues further comprises:

supplying a gas mixture comprising at least one of O₂, O₃, water vapor (H₂O), H₂, alkanes, alkenes, and nitrogen gas (N₂) prior to venting the load lock chamber.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of removing halogen-containing residues further comprises:

heating the etched substrate to a temperature between about 20 degrees Celsius and about 400 degrees Celsius; and

maintaining a pressure of the load lock chamber at between about 10 mTorr and about 5000 mTorr.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of removing halogen-containing residues further comprises:

exposing the etched substrate to a plasma in the load lock chamber.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of exposing the substrate to the plasma further comprises:

forming the plasma by a remote plasma source.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the plasma is formed from at least one of O₂, O₃, water vapor (H₂O), H₂, alkanes, alkenes, and wherein the plasma further comprises at least one of nitrogen gas (N₂), argon (Ar) and helium (He).

22. The method of 20, wherein the step of removing halogen-containing residues further comprises:

supplying a gas mixture comprising at least one of nitrogen gas (N₂), argon (Ar) and helium (He) prior to venting the load lock chamber.

27. An apparatus for removing halogen-containing residues from a substrate, comprising:

at least one etch chamber;

a load lock chamber interfaced with a heat module that is adapted to heat a substrate disposed in the load lock chamber;

a transfer chamber having a robot disposed therein that is adapted to transfer the substrate between the etch chamber and the load lock chamber; and

a remote plasma source coupled to the load lock chamber

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the load lock chamber further comprises:

a temperature controlled pedestal disposed in the load lock chamber adapted to cool the substrate.