Lam Research Corporation

Yaobo Yin

Hong Shih

Armen Avoyan

Jason Augustino

Catherine Zhou

Linda (Tong) Jiang

John Edward Daugherty

Shun Jackson Wu

Linda Jiang

Apparatuses are provided for cleaning a processing component using megasonic energy including megasonic tanks, scanning megasonic plates, megasonic jets, and megasonic sweeping beams etc., in combination with selective chemistries to remove sub-micron particulate contaminants from the surfaces of the processing component that is used in cleaning semiconductor, medical, or any other processing substrates. The apparatus includes a processing chamber having a carrier element that is configured to support the processing component. The carrier element includes a mechanism to flip the processing component within the processing chamber during cleaning. A fluid supply assembly supplies a fluid to a surface of the processing component and a beam assembly equipped with a megasonic transducer is used to provide high frequency megasonic acoustic energy to the fluid during cleaning.

Megasonic precision cleaning of semiconductor process equipment components and parts

Methods and apparatus are provided for using various megasonic apparatus including megasonic tanks, scanning megasonic plates, megasonic jets, and megasonic sweeping beams etc., in combination with selective chemistries to remove sub-micron particulate contaminants from the surfaces of the processing equipment used in semiconductor, medical, or any other processing environments.

Methods of cleaning backing plates of electrode assemblies, or electrode assemblies including a backing plate and an electrode plate are provided. The methods can be used to clean backing plates and electrode plates made of various materials, such as silicon electrode plates and graphite and aluminum backing plates. The backing plates and electrode assemblies can be new, used or refurbished. A flushing fixture that can be used in the cleaning methods is also provided, the flushing fixture comprising a base plate comprising a recessed inner portion including and an upper surface configured to support the backing plate or the electrode assembly, and a cover plate configured to cover the base plate, the cover plate including at least one liquid passage through which a flushing liquid is introduced into an interior of the flushing fixture defined by the base plate and cover plate.

Methods and apparatus for wet cleaning electrode assemblies for plasma processing apparatuses

A method for cleaning an electrode assembly comprising a backing plate bonded to an electrode plate for a plasma processing assembly, the method including the steps of contacting the backing plate and electrode plate with a solvent; spraying the backing plate and electrode plate with water; ultrasonically cleaning the electrode assembly; enclosing the electrode assembly in a flushing fixture defined by a base plate having a plurality of liquid passages and a cover plate configured to cover the base plate, the cover plate including at least one liquid passage; and flushing the electrode assembly in the flushing fixture by introducing a flushing liquid under pressure through said at least one liquid passage in the cover plate.

Systematic and effective methodology to clean capacitively coupled plasma reactor electrodes and reduce surface roughness so that the cleaned electrodes meet surface contamination specifications and manufacturing yields are enhanced. Pre-cleaning of tools used in the cleaning process helps prevent contamination of the electrode being cleaned.

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Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Yaobo Yin