Cleaning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10199221-B2
Application number	US-201715853397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2017
Priority date	Sep 22, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatuses for epitaxial deposition on substrate surfaces. More particularly, implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatuses for surface preparation prior to epitaxial deposition. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate is provided. The method comprises etching a surface of a silicon-containing substrate by use of a plasma etch process, where at least one etching process gas comprising chlorine gas and an inert gas is used during the plasma etch process and forming an epitaxial layer on the surface of the silicon-containing substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
removing oxides from a surface of a silicon-containing substrate by a first plasma etch process, wherein the first plasma etch process comprises exposing the surface of the silicon-containing substrate to NF 3 and NH 3 plasma by-products;
etching the surface of the silicon-containing substrate by a second plasma etch process, wherein at least one etching process gas comprising chlorine gas, hydrogen gas, and an inert gas is used during the second plasma etch process; and
forming an epitaxial layer on the surface of the silicon-containing substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inert gas is selected from argon, helium, or both.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plasma etch process is a remote capacitively coupled plasma etch process.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plasma etch process is an inductively coupled plasma etch process.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the inductively coupled plasma etch process includes forming an inductively coupled plasma by applying alternating current (AC) power to one or more inductive coils.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second plasma etch process is an inductively coupled plasma etch process.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the inductively coupled plasma etch process includes forming an inductively coupled plasma by applying alternating current (AC) power to one or more inductive coils.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plasma etch process and the second plasma etch process are performed in separate processing regions.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plasma etch process and the second plasma etch process are performed in the same processing region.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a volumetric concentration of the chlorine gas is between about 1% and about 10% of a total volume of the at least one etching process gas.

11. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
removing oxides from a surface of a silicon-containing substrate positioned in a first substrate-processing region by a first plasma etch process, wherein the first plasma etch process comprises exposing the surface of the silicon-containing substrate to NF 3 and NH 3 plasma by-products;
etching the surface of the silicon-containing substrate positioned in a second substrate-processing region by use of a second plasma etch process, wherein at least one etching process gas comprising chlorine gas, hydrogen gas, and an inert gas is used during the second plasma etch process; and
forming an epitaxial layer on the surface of the silicon-containing substrate in a third substrate-processing region.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the inert gas is selected from argon, helium, or both.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
transferring the silicon-containing substrate from the second substrate-processing region to the third substrate-processing region after the second plasma etch process without exposing the silicon-containing substrate to atmosphere.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
transferring the silicon-containing substrate from the first substrate-processing region to the second substrate-processing region after the first plasma etch process without exposing the silicon-containing substrate to atmosphere.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first plasma etch process is a remote capacitively coupled plasma etch process.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first plasma etch process is an inductively coupled plasma etch process.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the inductively coupled plasma etch process includes forming an inductively coupled plasma by applying alternating current (AC) power to one or more inductive coils.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second plasma etch process is an inductively coupled plasma etch process that comprises forming an inductively coupled plasma by applying alternating current (AC) power to one or more inductive coils.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the chlorine gas and the hydrogen gas are introduced separately into the second substrate-processing region.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein a volumetric concentration of the chlorine gas is between about 1% and about 10% of a total volume of the at least one etching process gas.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Olsen Christopher S
• Stone Peter
• Kuo Teng-Fang
• Hsieh Ping Han
• Vellaikal Manoj

Classifications

• H10P72/7612

  characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins · CPC title

• H10P72/0462

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0461

  characterised by the presence of two or more transfer chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0454

  surrounding a central transfer chamber · CPC title

• H10P70/125

  with gaseous HF · CPC title