Method for removing surface deposits and passivating interior surfaces of the interior of a chemical vapor deposition reactor
First Claim
1. An activated gas mixture comprising:
- from about 60% to about 75%, fluorine atoms,from about 10% to about 30% nitrogen atoms,optionally, up to about 15% oxygen atoms, andfrom about 0.3% to about 15% of one or more atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon and sulfur.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to plasma cleaning methods for removing surface deposits from a surface, such as the interior of a depositions chamber that is used in fabricating electronic devices. The present invention also provides gas mixtures and activated gas mixtures which provide superior performance in removing deposits from a surface. The methods involve activating a gas mixture comprising a carbon or sulfur source, NF3, and optionally, an oxygen source to form an activated gas, and contacting the activated gas mixture with surface deposits to remove the surface deposits wherein the activated gas mixture acts to passivate the interior surfaces of the apparatus to reduce the rate of surface recombination of gas phase species.
222 Citations
67 Claims
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1. An activated gas mixture comprising:
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from about 60% to about 75%, fluorine atoms, from about 10% to about 30% nitrogen atoms, optionally, up to about 15% oxygen atoms, and from about 0.3% to about 15% of one or more atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon and sulfur. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 65)
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7. A process for etching and removing surface deposits on the interior surfaces of a CVD apparatus, comprising:
- activating in a remote chamber a gas mixture comprising an oxygen source, a source of one or more atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon and sulfur, and NF3, wherein the molar ratio of oxygen source;
source of one or more atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon and sulfur is at least about 0.75;
1, and wherein the molar percentage of NF3 in the said gas mixture is from about 50% to about 98%;
allowing said activated gas mixture to flow through a conduit and into a process chamber, thereby reducing the rate of surface recombination of gas phase species on the interior surfaces of said CVD apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
- activating in a remote chamber a gas mixture comprising an oxygen source, a source of one or more atoms selected from the group consisting of carbon and sulfur, and NF3, wherein the molar ratio of oxygen source;
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55. A gas mixture for cleaning a CVD reactor, comprising in molar percent of the gas,
up to 25% of an oxygen source gas, from about 50% to about 98% of an inorganic fluorine source gas, up to about 25% of a carbon source gas, and up to about 25% of a sulfur source gas, wherein the combined amount of the carbon source gas plus the amount of the sulfur source gas is 1% to 25%.
- 60. A cleaning gas mixture comprising from about 50% to about 98% on a molar basis NF3, an oxygen source and a fluorocarbon.
Specification