Method of removing contaminants

US5300187A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Motorola, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Israel A. Lesk · Phoenix, US
• Young Limb · Poughkeepsie, US
• Philip J. Tobin · Austin, US
• John G. Franka · Austin, US
• Paul T. Lin · Austin, US
• Jonathan C. Dahm · Austin, US
• Gary L. Huffman · Austin, US
• Bich-Yen Nguyen · Austin, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 3, 1992
• Grant date: Apr 5, 1994
• Expiry date: Sep 3, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S438/906
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Contaminants are removed from a semiconductor material by heating the semiconductor material to temperature within the range of a minimum temperature where a halogen compound will decompose to halogen atoms without the use of ultraviolet irradiation and react with contaminants present on the semiconductor material and a maximum temperature of 800.degree. C., wherein less than or equal to approximately 50 Angstroms of oxide is formed on the semiconductor material. The ambient in which the semiconductor material is heated is an ambient comprised of a nonreactive gas and a halogen compound for at least a time sufficient to remove a substantial amount of contaminants from the semiconductor material.