Patent · US Expired

Method of cleaning wafer substrates

US5968279A · kind A · utility

72Cited by
3References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 13, 1997
Grant dateOct 19, 1999
Priority date—
Expiry dateJun 13, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/67028
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The silicon surface of a wafer is cleaned at room temperature in a separate pre-clean chamber prior to epitaxial deposition. Fluorine atoms generated, for example, from NF.sub.3 gas, enter the pre-clean chamber, contact the silicon surface, and etch away native oxide, contaminated silicon, and other damage incurred from prior wafer processes. The cleaned wafer is then transferred in an oxygen-free environment to a deposition chamber, for epitaxial deposition. By cleaning at reduced temperatures, autodoping, slip, and other stress-related problems are alleviated. By using a separate chamber for cleaning, system throughput is increased when compared to prior systems using conventional cleaning methods.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.