Cleaning of native oxide with hydrogen-containing radicals

• US 7,604,708 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Wood, Bingxi Sun, Kawaguchi, Mark N., Lai, Chiukun Steven, Kao, Chien-Teh, Papanu, James S., Wang, Wei W., Ai, Hua, Mosely, Roderick C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh; Parviz
• Assistant Examiner(s): DHINGRA, RAKESH KUMAR
• Application Number:
  US10/778,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20040219789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.ME, 118/723.ER, 118/723.IR, 156/345.35
• US Class Current: 156/345.35
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/022 by means of bombardment with energetic particles or radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32871 Means for trapping or directing unwanted particles
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/34 operating with cathodic sputtering H01J37/36 takes precedence ; methods of cathodic sputtering C23C14/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02046 Dry cleaning only H01L21/02085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02063 the processing being the formation of vias or contact holes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32136 using plasmas
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76814 post-treatment or after-treatment, e.g. cleaning or removal of oxides on underlying conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76838 characterised by the formation and the after-treatment of the conductors etching for patterning the conductors H01L21/3213

Abstract

A substrate cleaning apparatus has a remote source to remotely energize a hydrogen-containing gas to form an energized gas having a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species. The apparatus has a process chamber with a substrate support, an ion filter to filter the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio, and a gas distributor to introduce the filtered energized gas into the chamber.

Claims

1. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a remote source to remotely energize a hydrogen-containing gas to form a remotely energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species; and

(b) a process chamber comprising;

(i) a substrate support;

(ii) an ion filter capable of filtering the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio;

the ion filter comprising a wire grid mounted on or at least partially embedded in a dielectric gas distributor such that the surfaces of the wire grid and the gas distributor are in physical contact and the openings in the wire grid coincide with apertures in the dielectric gas distributor to introduce the filtered energized gas into the chamber.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the ion filter filters the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio that is lower than the first ratio.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a quartz surface that reduces the number of ionic hydrogen-containing species in the energized gas.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein a chamber liner comprises the quartz surface.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein a conduit connecting the remote source and chamber comprises the quartz surface.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a detector adapted to detect at least one of a radical and ion concentration at one or more locations in the apparatus.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the process chamber is capable of maintaining a sub-atmospheric pressure.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the process chamber comprises an exhaust system.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the remote source comprises a remote gas energizer to energize the gas in a remote zone that is separated from the process chamber by a distance of from about 1 to about 4 inches.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the dielectric gas distributor comprise a gas distribution plate composed of quartz.

11. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a remote source comprising a remote gas energizer to energize a hydrogen-containing gas in a remote zone; and

(b) a process chamber comprising;

(i) a substrate support;

(ii) an ion filter capable of filtering the remotely energized hydrogen-containing gas to control a ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species;

the ion filter comprising a wire grid mounted on or at least partially embedded in a gas distribution plate such that the surfaces of the wire grid and the gas distribution plate are in physical contact and the openings in the wire grid coincide with apertures in the gas distribution plate, the gas distribution plate comprising a dielectric material.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the remote source remotely energizes the hydrogen-containing gas to form a remotely energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, and the ion filter filters the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being lower than the first ratio.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11 comprising a quartz surface that reduces the number of ionic hydrogen-containing species in the energized gas passed to the process chamber.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11 comprising a detector adapted to detect at least one of a radical and ion concentration at one or more locations in the apparatus.

15. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the remote source is separated from the process chamber by a distance of from about 1 to about 4 inches.

16. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the dielectric material of the gas distribution plate comprises quartz.