Applied Materials, Inc.

Danny Chien Lu

Hong Shih

Nianci Han

Diana Xiaobing Ma

Li Xu

Jennifer Y Sun

Jie Yuan

Yang Zhang

Yan Ye

James S Papanu

Allen Richard Zhao

Gerald Zheyao Yin

Changhun Lee

Steve S Mak

Keshav B Prasad

Peter Chang-Lin Hsieh

Yi Zhou

Paul Martinez

Mark Siegel

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to methods of removing and/or cleaning a substrate surface having refractory metal portions disposed thereon using water vapor plasma treatment. In one embodiment, a method for cleaning a surface of a substrate includes positioning a substrate in a processing chamber, the substrate having a refractory metal disposed thereon, forming a process gas comprising water vapor, maintaining a process pressure in the processing chamber above about 0.5 Torr, forming a plasma in the process gas to form an activated water vapor and exposing the refractory metal to the activated water vapor.

Methods of non-destructive post tungsten etch residue removal

A component capable of being exposed to a plasma in a process chamber has a structure having an electroplated coating comprising yttrium-containing species. The electroplated coating can include zirconium oxide, or can have an oxide layer thereon. In another embodiment the electroplated coating comprises a first species and is coated with a second electroplated coating comprising a second species that is different from the first species. The electroplated coating is resistant to corrosion in the plasma. In another embodiment, the electroplated coating has an interface having a thickness with a first concentration gradient of an yttrium-containing species and a second concentration gradient of a second species. An electroplated coating having a layer comprising first and second concentration gradients of first and second metals can be formed by varying the concentration of the first and second metal electrolyte species in the electroplating bath to electroplate the coating.

Process chamber component having electroplated yttrium containing coating

A method of forming a component capable of being exposed to a plasma in a process chamber comprises forming a structure comprising a surface and electroplating yttrium, and optionally aluminum or zirconium, onto the surface. Thereafter, the electroplated layer can be annealed to oxide the yttrium and other electroplated species.

Electroplating an yttrium-containing coating on a chamber component

A component capable of being exposed to a plasma in a process chamber has a structure having an electroplated coating comprising yttrium-containing species. The electroplated coating is resistant to corrosion in the plasma, and can have a compositional gradient of yttrium-containing species through a thickness of the coating. In one embodiment, the coating is formed by electroplating a layer comprising yttrium onto the surface, and then electroplating a second layer onto the first layer, and annealing the first and second layers. The second layer can comprise aluminum or zirconium. In another embodiment, the coating is formed by electroplating a layer comprising a mixture of aluminum and yttrium onto the surface and annealing the layer.

An erosion resistant member that may be used in the processing of a substrate in a plasma of a processing gas, comprises at least a portion that may be exposed to the plasma of the processing gas and that contains more than about 3% by weight of an oxide of a Group IIIB metal. The portion may also further contain a ceramic compound selected from silicon carbide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, and mixtures thereof.

Substrate processing using a member comprising an oxide of a group IIIB metal

A method and assembly for recovering a metal from by-products produced from etching a metal (e.g., platinum, iridium, aluminum, etc.) in a plasma processing chamber. The method includes recovering from the plasma processing chamber a deposit of the by-products containing the metal. The deposit is dissolved in an acid, and the metal is recovered from the acid by inserting a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode into the acid and applying a difference in potential between the working and reference electrodes to cause current to flow through the working and counter electrodes and the metal to be removed from the liquid and deposit on the working electrode. The metal is removed from the working electrode to recover the metal. The assembly for recovering the metal from the by-products includes a potentiostat for effecting a difference in potential between the working and reference electrodes and causing current to flow through the working and counter electrodes in response to the difference in potential between the working and reference electrodes.

Method for recovering metal from etch by-products

A ceramic composition of matter for a process kit and a dielectric window of a reactor chamber wherein substrates are processed in a plasma of a processing gas. The ceramic composition of matter contains a ceramic compound (e.g. Al O ) and an oxide of a Group IIIB metal (e.g., Y O ). A method for processing (e.g. etching) a substrate in a chamber containing a plasma of a processing gas. The method includes passing processing power through a dielectric window which is formed from the ceramic composition of matter.

Ceramic composition for an apparatus and method for processing a substrate

The present invention is a method for removing deposited etch byproducts from surfaces of a semiconductor processing chamber after a copper etch process. The method of the invention comprises the following general steps: (a) an oxidation step, in which interior surfaces of the processing chamber are contacted with an oxidizing plasma; (b) a first non-plasma cleaning step, in which interior surfaces of the processing chamber are contacted with an H hfac-comprising gas; and (c) a second cleaning step, in which interior surfaces of the processing chamber are contacted with a plasma containing reactive fluorine species, whereby at least a portion of the copper etch byproducts remaining after step (b) are volatilized into gaseous species, which are removed from the processing chamber. The method of the invention is preferably performed at a chamber wall temperature of at least 150&deg; C. in order to achieve optimum cleaning of the chamber at the chamber operating pressures typically used during the cleaning process. The dry cleaning method of the invention can be performed between wafer processing runs without opening the processing chamber, thereby minimizing potential contamination to the chamber as well as chamber downtime.

Method of cleaning a semiconductor device processing chamber after a copper etch process

A ceramic composition of matter for a process kit and a dielectric window of a reactor chamber wherein substrates are processed in a plasma of a processing gas. The ceramic composition of matter contains a ceramic compound (e.g. Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) and an oxide of a Group IIIB metal (e.g., Y.sub.2 O.sub.3). A method for processing (e.g. etching) a substrate in a chamber containing a plasma of a processing gas. The method includes passing processing power through a dielectric window which is formed from the ceramic composition of matter.

Ceramic composition for an apparatus and method for processing a

The present invention provides an apparatus and process for plasma cleaning the interior surfaces of semiconductor processing chambers. The method is directed to the dry etching of accumulated contaminant residues attached to the inner surfaces of the plasma processing chamber and includes introducing a cleaning gas mixture of a halogen-containing gas; activating a plasma in an environment substantially free of oxygen species; contacting the contaminant residues with the activated cleaning gas to volatilize the residues; and removing the gaseous by-products from the chamber. The etchant gaseous mixture comprises an even or greater amount of at least one fluorine-containing gas and an even or lesser amount of at least one chlorine-containing gas. The instant invention enables the intermittent use of the cleaning steps in an ongoing plasma processing of semiconductor wafers without chamber downtime and significant loss of wafer production.

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Gilroy, CA, United States of America

Danny Chien Lu