Method of cleaning CVD cold-wall chamber and exhaust lines

• US 6,042,654 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Forstner, Hali J. L., Comita, Paul B., Ranganathan, Rekha
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilkins, Yolanda E.
• Application Number:
  US09/006,463
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 134/2, 134/1, 134/1.1, 134/21, 134/19, 156/345, 156/643, 438/10, 438/710
• US Class Current: 134/2
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases

Abstract

A method of cleaning post deposition deposits from a processing chamber by providing a chlorine gas (Cl₂), forming chlorine radicals and reacting the chlorine radicals with the deposits.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a process chamber having post deposition deposits formed therein comprising the steps of:

(a) providing Cl₂ gas into said processing chamber;

(b) thermally decomposing said gas to form Cl radicals and reacting said Cl radicals with said deposits formed inside said process chamber on internal components from the group consisting of a susceptor, chamber liners, upper and lower domes, and preheat rings which are fabricated from quartz, SiC coated graphite or, stainless steel; and

(c) removing the by products of said reaction.

2. The method of claim 1 where the density of said chlorine radicals is sufficient to selectively remove said deposits without damage to said internal components.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said chlorine radicals have a density less than or equal to 3.2×

10¹³ atoms/cm³.

4. A method of cleaning a process chamber having post deposition deposits formed therein comprising the steps of:

(a) providing Cl₂ gas into said process chamber having post deposition deposits formed on internal process chamber components,

(b) thermally decomposing said Cl₂ gas into Cl radicals,

(c) reacting said formed Cl radicals with said internal process chamber deposits; and

(d) removing the by products of said reaction.

5. The method of claim 4 where deposits have formed within the process chamber comprising chamber walls, susceptor, chamber liner, upper chamber dome, and preheat rings which circumscribe the susceptor which are fabricated from materials selected from the group consisting of quartz, graphite and stainless steel.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said thermally formed Cl radicals react with said deposits in a region of the exhaust line heated by said chamber.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of forming an epitaxial silicon layer in said chamber prior to providing said Cl₂ gas into said chamber and wherein said silicon polymeric or [SiH_x Cl_y ]_n deposits were formed from the epitaxial silicon deposition within said process chamber.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of forming an amorphous silicon layer in said chamber prior to providing said Cl₂ gas into said chamber and wherein said silicon polymeric or [SiH_x Cl_y ]_n deposits were formed from the amorphous silicon deposition within said process chamber.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of forming an polysilicon layer in said chamber prior to providing said Cl₂ gas into said chamber and wherein said silicon polymeric or [SiH_x Cl_y ]_n deposits were formed from the polysilicon deposition within said process chamber.

10. The method of claim 4 where the Cl₂ gas is caused to flow into said process chamber at a rate greater than 1 SLM but less than 100 SLM.

11. The method of claim 10 where the Cl₂ gas is greater than 99.998% purity such that said Cl₂ gas is not a contaminant source for subsequent deposition of epitaxial, amorphous or polysilicon film.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein said Cl₂ gas is heated to a temperature in the range greater than 250°

C. and less than 1125°

C. to thermally decompose Cl₂ gas into said Cl radicals.

13. The method of claim 4 where the density of said chlorine radicals is sufficient to selectively remove said deposits with minimal damage to said internal components.

14. The method of claim 4 wherein said chlorine radicals have a density less than or equal to 3.2×

10¹³ atoms/cm³.

15. The method of claim 4 wherein the density of said Cl radicals is about 7.7×

10¹² atoms/cm³.

16. A method for cleaning a process chamber having deposits formed from hydrogen, silicon and chlorine, generally [SiH_x Cl_y ]n, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a deposition process gas comprising of a silicon source gas and H₂ carrier gas into said process chamber to form a silicon film within said process chamber wherein said silicon film forms deposits on internal process chamber components;

(b) providing an inert gas into said chamber to remove residual H₂ ;

(c) providing Cl₂ gas into said process chamber;

(d) thermally decomposing said Cl₂ gas into Cl radicals;

(e) reacting said formed Cl radicals with said deposits formed on internal process chamber components; and

(f) providing an inert gas into said chamber to remove residual Cl gases, thereby removing the by products of said reaction.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said Cl₂ gas is raised to a temperature between 250°

C. and 1125°

C. to decompose said Cl₂ gas into Cl radicals.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said Cl₂ gas is raised to a temperature between within 75°

C. of wafer transfer temperature.

19. The method of claim 16 where the pressure within said processing chamber is greater than 10 Torr but less than or equal to atmospheric pressure.

20. The method of claim 16 where the Cl₂ gas is caused to flow into said process chamber at a rate greater than 1 SLM but less than 100 SLM.

21. The method of claim 16 where the density of said chlorine radicals is sufficient to selectively remove said deposits without damage to said internal components.

22. The method of claim 16 where the density of said chlorine radicals is less than or equal to 3.2×

10¹³ atoms/cm³.

23. The method of claim 16 where said silicon deposits were the result of epitaxial silicon deposition within said process chamber.

24. The method of claim 16 where silicon deposits were the result of amorphous silicon deposition within said process chamber.

25. The method of claim 16 where said silicon deposits were the result of polysilicon deposition within said process chamber.

26. A method for cleaning a process chamber comprising of the steps of:

(a) providing process chamber comprising a susceptor, preheat rings, liner, and quartz dome;

(b) forming deposits on process chamber components as a result of silicon deposition;

(c) providing Cl₂ gas into said process chamber;

(d) thermally decomposing said Cl₂ gas into chlorine radicals; and

(e) reacting said formed chlorine radicals with said deposits.

(f) removing the product of said reaction.

27. The method of claim 26 where the temperature of said process chamber is greater than 250°

C. but less than 1125°

C.

28. The method of claim 26 where the pressure within said processing chamber is greater than 10 Torr but less than or equal to atmospheric pressure.

29. The method of claim 26 where the density of said chlorine radicals is sufficient to selectively remove said deposits without damage to said internal components.

30. The method of claim 26 where the density of said chlorine radicals is less than or equal to 3.2×

10¹³ atoms/cm³.

31. The method of claim 26 where said deposits were the result of epitaxial silicon deposition within said process chamber.

32. The method of claim 26 further wherein the deposits were the result of polysilicon deposition within said process chamber.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein the deposits were the result of amorphous silicon deposition within said process chamber.

34. A method for cleaning a process chamber having post deposition deposits formed therein comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a chlorine source gas into said processing chamber having post deposition deposits formed on internal chamber components;

(b) providing a chamber temperature about or below 1125°

C.;

(c) thermally decomposing said chlorine source gas to form chlorine radicals and reacting said chlorine radicals with said deposits formed on internal chamber components; and

(d) removing the by products of said reaction.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said chlorine source gas is Cl₂.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein said chlorine source gas is ClF₃.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein said chlorine source gas is SiCl₄.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein said chlorine radicals have a density less than or equal to 3.2×

10¹³ atoms/cm³.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein said chlorine radicals have a density of about 7.7×

10¹² atoms/cm³.