Device and method for improving corrosion resistance and etch tool integrity in dry metal etching
US5830279A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 1995 |
| Grant date | Nov 3, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 29, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67115
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A device and method for removing contaminants from semiconductor wafers and from the interior of wafer processing chambers in which the temperature inside the chambers is raised to sufficiently high levels for short time periods. In a wafer etching chamber, heat cleaning is performed after wafer removal and lessens the required frequency of other cleaning methods and in doing so reduces the time the chamber is unavailable. In a mask removal chamber, heat cleaning is performed with the wafer in the chamber and while still under vacuum conditions, thereby driving contaminants off of both the wafer and the chamber interior. The wafer cleaning is performed prior to exposure to atmospheric water vapor which can initiate corrosion.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.