Method of protecting quartz hardware from etching during plasma-enhanced cleaning of a semiconductor processing chamber
US6360754B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 16, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 26, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 16, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S438/905
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention is a method of suppressing etchrate of quartz hardware in semiconductor processing chamber during plasma-enhanced cleaning. In one embodiment, the method of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) introducing a mixture of fluorocarbon gas, oxygen, and water vapor into the chamber; and (b) activating the mixture to form a quartz-safe plasma cleaning gas. According to the present invention, the presence of water vapor substantially suppresses etching of quartz hardware. Etchrate of the polymer contaminants, however, is substantially unaffected. In one embodiment of the invention, the fluorocarbon gas includes CF4, and, water vapor is introduced at a rate of at least 60 standard cubic centimeters per minute (SCCM).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.