Rapid chamber clean using concurrent in-situ and remote plasma sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10161034-B2
Application number	US-201715493972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A method for cleaning a processing chamber of a substrate processing system includes supplying nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) gas to a remote plasma source (RPS); generating RPS plasma using the RPS; supplying the RPS plasma to the processing chamber; supplying NF3 gas as bypass gas to the processing chamber; striking in-situ plasma in the processing chamber while the RPS plasma is supplied; and cleaning the processing chamber during a cleaning period using both the RPS plasma and the in-situ plasma.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for cleaning a processing chamber of a substrate processing system, comprising:
supplying nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ) gas to a remote plasma source (RPS);
generating RPS plasma using the RPS;
supplying the RPS plasma to the processing chamber;
supplying NF 3 gas as a bypass gas to the processing chamber;
striking in-situ plasma from the bypass gas in the processing chamber while the RPS plasma is supplied; and
cleaning the processing chamber during a cleaning period using both the RPS plasma and the in-situ plasma.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising extinguishing the in-situ plasma and not supplying the RPS plasma to the processing chamber after the cleaning period.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate processing system performs chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the substrate processing system deposits silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) on a substrate using an oxide precursor gas.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the oxide precursor gas comprises tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) gas.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate processing system performs atomic layer deposition (ALD).

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the substrate processing system deposits silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) using an oxide precursor gas.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the oxide precursor gas comprises tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) gas.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the in-situ plasma is generated using RF power in a range from 500 W to 3000 W.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the in-situ plasma is generated using RF power in a range from 1000 W to 2000 W.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the in-situ plasma is generated using RF power in a range from 1400 W to 1600 W.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a gas flow rate to the RPS is within a range from 90% to 110% of a most efficient flow rate for chamber operating parameters during the method.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a gas flow rate to the RPS is within a range from 95% to 105% of a most efficient flow rate for chamber operating parameters during the method.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a gas flow rate of NF 3 gas to the RPS is in a range from 10 to 12 slm.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein a gas flow rate of NF 3 gas to the processing chamber is in a range from 3 to 5 slm.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
maintaining a first pressure in the processing chamber during a first portion of the cleaning period; and
maintaining a second pressure that is different than the first pressure in the processing chamber during a second portion of the cleaning period.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first pressure is in a range from 2 to 4 Torr and the second pressure is in a range from 0.5 to 2 Torr.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a temperature of a substrate support in a range between 350° C. and 650° C. during the cleaning period.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a temperature of a substrate support in a range between 445° C. and 550° C. during the cleaning period.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Fox Keith
• Church Jonathan
• Lee James
• Mudrow Matthew
• Gerber Kevin

Classifications

• C23C16/45525

  Atomic layer deposition [ALD] · CPC title

• H01J37/32862 Primary

  In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts · CPC title

• C23C16/402

  Silicon dioxide · CPC title

• C23C16/4405 Primary

  Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases · CPC title

• H01J2237/335

  Cleaning · CPC title