METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING A CLEANING GAS INTO A PROCESS CHAMBER

• US 20090314309A1
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Janakiraman, Karthik, Nowak, Thomas, Rocha-Alvarez, Juan Carlos, Balasubramanian, Ganesh, Sivaramakrishnan, Visweswaren, M'Saad, Hichem, Sankarakrishnan, Ramprakash, DuBois, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 7,699,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 5/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow B08B6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0021 by liquid gases or supercritical fluids
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4409 characterised by sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/221 specially adapted operating means therefor operating means per se F16K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/224 Details of bearings for the axis of rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/06 using a magnet , e.g. diaphragm valves, cutting off by means of a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/0655 Lift valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/088 the movement of the first magnet being a rotating or pivoting movement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/905 Cleaning of reaction chamber

Abstract

A method and apparatus for cleaning a process chamber are provided. In one embodiment, a process chamber is provided that includes a remote plasma source and a process chamber having at least two processing regions. Each processing region includes a substrate support assembly disposed in the processing region, a gas distribution system configured to provide gas into the processing region above the substrate support assembly, and a gas passage configured to provide gas into the processing region below the substrate support assembly. A first gas conduit is configured to flow a cleaning agent from the remote plasma source through the gas distribution assembly in each processing region while a second gas conduit is configured to divert a portion of the cleaning agent from the first gas conduit to the gas passage of each processing region.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method for supplying plasma into a process chamber, comprising:

providing a remote plasma source coupled to each of two separate processing regions through a first gas conduit configured to provide a first volume of a cleaning agent into each of the processing regions above a substrate support assembly disposed in each of two separate processing regions and a second gas conduit configured to provide a second volume of the cleaning agent into each of the two separate processing regions below the substrate support assembly;

flowing the first volume of the cleaning agent from the remote plasma source through the first gas conduit into an interior volumes of each of the two separate processing regions; and

flowing the second volume of the cleaning agent from the remote plasma source through the second gas conduit into the interior volume of each of the two separate processing regions by ports located below each of the substrate support assemblies.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second volumes of the cleaning agent is are provided by the remote plasma source.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second volumes of the cleaning agent each comprise at least one of NF₃, F₂, SF₆, Cl₂, CF₄, C₂F₆, CCl₄ or C₂Cl₆.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein flowing the cleaning agent from the plasma source through the first gas conduit into the interior volume of each of the processing regions comprises flowing the cleaning agent from the plasma source through a gas distribution assembly provided at the top of the interior volume of each of the processing regions.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein flowing the second volume of cleaning agent further comprises:

diverting a portion of the first volume of cleaning agent to the processing regions through the second gas conduit.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the diverting a portion of the first volume of cleaning agent is controlled by a valve.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the valve is operated to divert less than about 50% of the total amount of the first and second volumes of the cleaning agent supplied by the remote plasma source to the ports when in a fully opened state.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the flowing the first and second volumes of the cleaning agent is performed concurrently.