Apparatus for in-situ chamber cleaning
US4786352A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 12, 1986 |
| Grant date | Nov 22, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 12, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J37/32862
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus for the in-situ cleaning of the interior surfaces of a processing chamber (14) and/or tooling or substrates disposed within said chamber where said chamber is composed substantially of dielectric material having at least one powered and one grounded electrode (30) formed from a thin film of conductive material deposited directly on the exterior surface of said chamber, a means for introducing gas (26) into the chamber, a means for establishing and maintaining a reduced pressure environment (22) within the chamber, and a supply of radio frequency power (32). A plasma is created in the chamber by the interaction of the RF field established in the chamber upon the application of RF power to the electrodes with the gas in the chamber, and the plasma creates gaseous species that etch unwanted deposits and/or contaminates from the interior surfaces of the chamber and/or the surfaces of tooling or substrates disposed in the chamber. Several different configurations and structures of the electrodes are shown as well as applications to chambers of several different types of processing equipment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.