Cleaning process residues from substrate processing chamber components

• US 8,118,946 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Global Technologies LLC (Ultra Clean Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Quantum Global Technologies LLC (Ultra Clean Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lau, Wesley George
• Primary Examiner(s): Markoff, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US11/948,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20090139540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 134/1, 134/1.3, 134/22.1, 134/22.18, 134/22.19, 134/26, 134/30, 134/1.1, 134/22.12, 438/905
• US Class Current: 134/30
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/00 Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0035 by radiant energy, e.g. UV, laser, light beam or the like

Abstract

A component from a substrate processing chamber which has plasma process residues on both its internal and external surfaces, is removed from the processing chamber, and transferred to a cleaning chamber. The component is exposed to an energized cleaning gas in the cleaning chamber, and the cleaning gas is exhausted from below the component so that the cleaning gas cleans off the residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component. It has been determined that the cleaning gas can also repair surface defects in the component.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning a component of a substrate processing chamber, the component having both internal and external surfaces, and the method comprising:

(a) removing the component from the substrate processing chamber, the component having process residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component;

(b) placing the component in a cleaning chamber having an exhaust port located under the component;

(c) exposing the component to an energized fluorinated cleaning gas comprising oxygen and a fluorinated gas; and

(d) exhausting the energized fluorinated cleaning gas from under the component so that the energized fluorinated cleaning gas is sucked past the internal surfaces of the component to clean process residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the fluorinated gas comprises at least one of CF₄, NF₃ and SF₆.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the fluorinated cleaning gas is energized for about 1500 to about 3000 seconds.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein the fluorinated cleaning gas is energized by RF energy at a bias power level of from about 100 to about 1100 watts.

5. A method according to claim 2 further comprising after step (d) performing the steps of:

(e) exposing the component to an energized chlorine-containing cleaning gas comprising a chlorine-containing gas; and

(f) exhausting the energized chlorine-containing cleaning gas from under the component so that the energized chlorine-containing cleaning gas is sucked past the internal surfaces of the component to clean process residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the chlorine-containing gas comprises Cl₂.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the chlorine-containing cleaning gas comprises oxygen.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the chlorine-containing cleaning gas comprises argon.

9. A method according to claim 5 wherein the chlorine-containing cleaning gas is energized for about 30 to about 200 seconds.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the chlorine-containing cleaning gas is energized by RF energy at a bias power level of from about 100 to about 1000 watts.

11. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

(g) wiping the one or more of the internal and external surfaces of the component with a cleaning solution comprising isopropanol.

16. A method according to claim 5 wherein the chlorine-containing gas comprises HCl, BCl₃, CCl₄, or mixtures thereof.

17. A method according to claim 1 comprising providing a flow of oxygen and a fluorinated gas wherein the flow comprises a volumetric flow ratio of oxygen to fluorinated gas of from about 1:

1 to about 4;

1.

18. A method according to claim 1 wherein the fluorinated cleaning gas comprises a diluent gas that is provided in a volumetric flow ratio of fluorinated gas to diluent gas of from about 2:

1 to about 5;

1.

21. A method according to claim 1 wherein the component comprises a gas distributor showerhead having holes and wherein (b) comprises placing the gas distributor showerhead so that the holes face the exhaust port to allow the fluorinated cleaning gas to pass through the holes.

12. A method of simultaneously cleaning and repairing surface defects of a component from a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising:

(a) removing a component from the substrate processing chamber, the component having process residues and surface defects on both internal and external surfaces of the component;

(b) cleaning the process residues off the component and repairing surface defects of the component in a cleaning chamber which is a different chamber than the substrate processing chamber, by;

(i) placing the component in the cleaning chamber over an exhaust port of the cleaning chamber;

(ii) exposing the component in the cleaning chamber to an energized cleaning gas comprising oxygen and a fluorinated gas; and

(iii) exhausting the cleaning gas from the exhaust port under the component, so that the cleaning gas is sucked past the internal surfaces of the component to clean process residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component while repairing the surface defects of the component.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the fluorinated gas comprises at least one of CF₄, NF₃ and SF₆.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the cleaning gas is energized for about 1500 to about 3000 seconds.

15. A method according to claim 12 wherein the cleaning gas is energized by RF energy at a bias power level of from about 100 to about 1100 watts.

19. A method according to claim 12 comprising providing a flow of oxygen and a fluorinated gas wherein the flow comprises a volumetric flow ratio of oxygen to fluorinated gas of from about 1:

1 to about 4;

1.

20. A method according to claim 12 wherein the cleaning gas comprises a diluent gas that is provided in a volumetric flow ratio of fluorinated gas to diluent gas of from about 2:

1 to about 5;

1.

22. A method according to claim 12 wherein the component comprises a gas distributor showerhead having holes and wherein (b)(i) comprises placing the gas distributor showerhead so that the holes face the exhaust port to allow the cleaning gas to pass through the holes.

23. A method of cleaning a component of a substrate processing chamber, the component comprising a plurality of holes having process residues therein, the method comprising:

(a) removing the component from the substrate processing chamber;

(b) placing the component in a cleaning chamber having an exhaust port such that the exhaust port is under the component;

(c) energizing a fluorinated cleaning gas comprising oxygen and a fluorinated gas in the cleaning chamber; and

(d) exhausting the fluorinated cleaning gas from under the component so that the cleaning gas flows through the holes having the process residues therein to clean the process residues from the holes.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the holes comprise sidewalls and the process residues are cleaned off the sidewalls of the holes.