Plasma dry cleaning of semiconductor processing chambers
US5486235A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 9, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jan 23, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 9, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S438/905
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The plasma dry cleaning rate of semiconductor process chamber walls can be improved by placing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in the position which was occupied by the workpiece during semiconductor processing. The non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material is either capable of generating dry cleaning reactive species and/or of reducing the consumption of the dry cleaning reactive species generated from the plasma gas feed to the process chamber. When process chamber non-volatile contaminant deposits are removed from plasma process chamber surfaces during plasma dry cleaning by placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the plasma process chamber, the non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material need not be located upon or adjacent the workpiece support platform: however, this location provides excellent cleaning results in typical process chamber designs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.