Method for cleaning semiconductor wafers and
April 10, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesApparatus for in-situ chamber cleaning Low-temperature in-situ dry cleaning process for semiconductor wafers Remote plasma enhanced CVD method and apparatus for growing an epitaxial semiconductor layer Method for enhancing nitridation and oxidation growth by introducing pulsed NF3 Method of forming silicon carbide Method for improving stability of tungsten chemical vapor deposition Low-temperature in-situ dry cleaning process for semiconductor wafer Method for plasma etching or cleaning with diluted NF3 Apparatus for selective chemical vapor deposition of dielectric, semiconductor and conductive films on semiconductor and metallic substrates Method of chamber cleaning in MOCVD application Patent #: 5658391 InventorApplicationNo. 831611 filed on 04/10/1997US Classes:438/677, Pretreatment of surface to enhance or retard deposition438/694Combined with coating stepExaminersPrimary: Chaudhari, ChandraAssistant: Berry, Renee R. Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassH01L 021/44AbstractA low temperature in-situ precleaning process for a semiconductor surface is disclosed. Ambient reactant gases, such as NF3 and GeH4, having a partial pressure of between approximately 10-8 and 700 Torr, are pulsed in a batch furnace at temperatures in the approximate range of 250 to 950 degrees Celsius and pressure in the approximate range of 4×103 to 20×103 Torr. This forms material on the surface that easily vaporizes in that temperature and pressure range, providing a clean surface for formation of the next layer. A similar in-situ cleaning process is performed at temperature ranges of between approximately 300 to 1,000 degrees Celsius for the equipment utilized in processing semiconductor substrates.Field of SearchDeposition utilizing plasma (e.g., glow discharge, etc.)Utilizing chemical vapor deposition (i.e., CVD) Utilizing electromagnetic or wave energy (e.g., photo-induced deposition, plasma, etc.) Refractory group metal (i.e., titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), or alloy thereof) Electrically conductive material (e.g., metal, conductive oxide, etc.) CLEANING OF REACTION CHAMBER MISCELLANEOUS Pretreatment of surface to enhance or retard deposition Combined with coating step | |
