The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 31, 2009
Filed:
Jan. 21, 2005
David L. O'meara, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Shingo Maku, Kai, JP;
David L. O'Meara, Poughkeepsie, NY (US);
Shingo Maku, Kai, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A method and control system for treating a hafnium-based dielectric processing system in which a system component of the processing system is exposed to a chlorine-containing gas. A residual hafnium by-product remaining in the processing system after a hafnium removal process is reacted with a chlorine-containing etchant derived from the chlorine-containing gas. A chlorinated hafnium product is volatilized for exhaustion from the processing system. The control system can utilize a computer readable medium to introduce a chlorine-containing gas to the processing system, to adjust at least one of a temperature and a pressure in the processing system to produce from the chlorine-containing gas a chlorine-containing etchant for dissolution of a residual hafnium by-product remaining in the processing system after a hafnium silicate, hafnium oxide, or hafnium oxynitride removal process, and to exhaust a chlorinated hafnium product from the processing system.