Method of cleaning a semiconductor processing chamber

• US 6,843,858 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Rossman, Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Kornakov, M.
• Application Number:
  US10/115,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20030183244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 134/1.1, 134/22.1, 134/22.18, 134/26, 134/30, 134/31, 134/902, 216/63, 216/64, 216/67, 216/68, 438/905
• US Class Current: 134/30
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0035 by radiant energy, e.g. UV, laser, light beam or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/905 Cleaning of reaction chamber

Abstract

A method of operating a substrate processing chamber. In one embodiment the method includes processing one or more substrates in the substrate processing chamber and subsequently cleaning the chamber using a dry cleaning process. This substrate processing and dry cleaning sequence is then repeated multiple times before chamber is further cleaned by flowing a cleaning gas into the chamber and forming a plasma within the chamber from the cleaning gas in an extended cleaning process. During the extended cleaning process the plasma is maintained within the chamber for a total of at least 5 minutes before the chamber is reused to process a substrate.

Claims

1. A method of operating a substrate processing chamber, said method comprising:

(a) processing one or more substrates in said substrate processing chamber;

(b) cleaning said chamber using a dry cleaning process;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) one or more times; and

(d) thereafter, performing an extended cleaning process by flowing a cleaning gas into said chamber and forming a plasma within said chamber from said cleaning gas, wherein said plasma is maintained for a total of at least 5 minutes before said chamber is reused to process a substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said cleaning gas comprises a hydrogen source and a fluorine source.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said cleaning gas further comprises an oxygen source.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said fluorine source is NF₃.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said cleaning gas consists of argon.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said cleaning gas consists of argon and a hydrogen source.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said hydrogen source is H₂.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said plasma is formed at a pressure between 0.5 and 120 mTorr.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said plasma is formed at a pressure between 0.5 and 5 mTorr.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a plasma is maintained in said substrate processing chamber for between a total of between 10 to 30 minutes during said extended cleaning step.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a cleaning plasma is maintained for less then 5 minutes during said dry cleaning process.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said cleaning gas is different in composition from a gas used during said dry cleaning process.

13. A method of operating a substrate processing chamber, said method comprising:

(a) transferring a substrate into said substrate processing chamber having at least one interior chamber surface;

(b) depositing a layer of material over said substrate, wherein said depositing step also results in unwanted deposition of material on said interior chamber surface;

(c) transferring said substrate out of said substrate processing chamber;

(d) optionally, repeating (a)-(c) n times, where n is an integer between 1 and 25;

(e) thereafter, removing said unwanted deposition build-up from said interior chamber surface by exposing said surface to reactive species from a first cleaning gas;

(f) repeating (a)-(e) m times, where m is an integer greater than 25, wherein after (a)-(e) are repeated m times, unwanted residue has built up on said interior chamber surface;

(g) thereafter, performing an extended cleaning process to remove said unwanted residue from said interior chamber surface by forming a plasma within said chamber from a second cleaning gas, wherein said second cleaning gas is different in composition from said first cleaning gas.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said first cleaning gas comprises a fluorine source.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said second cleaning gas comprises hydrogen and argon.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said second cleaning gas further comprises an oxygen source.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said second cleaning gas further comprises a fluorine source.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said second cleaning gas consists of argon.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said second cleaning gas consists of hydrogen and argon.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein said extended cleaning process forms a plasma within said chamber for at least 5 minutes.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein said extended cleaning process forms a plasma within said chamber for at least 10 minutes.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said interior chamber surface is exposed to reactive species during step (e) for less than 5 minutes.

23. A method of operating a high density plasma chemical vapor deposition chamber having a plasma generation system that includes a coil, said method comprising:

(a) transferring a substrate into said chamber, depositing a layer of silica glass over said substrate and transferring said substrate out of said chamber, wherein when said silica glass is deposited over said substrate some deposition also occurs on an interior surface of said chamber;

(b) optionally, repeating (a) n times, where n is an integer between 1 and 10;

(c) thereafter, removing said deposition from said interior surface by exposing said surface to reactive species from a first cleaning gas;

(d) repeating (a)-(c) m times, where m is an integer greater than 100;

(e) thereafter, performing an extended cleaning process by flowing a second cleaning gas into said chamber and applying RF energy to said coil to form a plasma within said chamber from said second cleaning gas, wherein said second cleaning gas is different in composition from said first cleaning gas.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said second cleaning gas comprises a hydrogen source.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said second cleaning gas further comprises a fluorine source.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said second cleaning gas further comprises argon.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein said hydrogen source is selected from the group consisting of:

air, silane and molecular hydrogen.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein said second cleaning gas consists of argon.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein said extended cleaning process forms a plasma within said chamber for at least 5 minutes.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein said extended cleaning process forms a plasma within said chamber for at least 10 minutes.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said interior chamber surface is exposed to reactive species during step (e) for less than 5 minutes.