REPAIRING SURFACE DEFECTS AND CLEANING RESIDUES FROM PLASMA CHAMBER COMPONENTS

• US 20090139540A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quantum Global Technologies LLC (Ultra Clean Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lau, Wesley George
• Granted Patent: US 8,118,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/1.100
• 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 component, the method comprising:

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

(b) placing the component in a cleaning chamber;

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

(d) exhausting the cleaning gas from below the component so that the cleaning gas cleans off the 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.

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

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

(f) exhausting the chlorine-containing cleaning gas from below the chamber component so that the chlorine-containing cleaning gas cleans off the 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 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 surface of the component with a cleaning solution comprising isopropanol.

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

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;

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

(i) placing the component over an exhaust port in 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 below the component,

whereby the cleaning gas cleans off the process residues on both the internal and external surfaces of the component while repairing surface defects.

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.