Claims
- 1. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising:
(a) a remote source to remotely energize a hydrogen-containing gas to form a remotely energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species; and (b) a process chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (ii) an ion filter to filter the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio; and (iii) a gas distributor to introduce the filtered energized gas into the chamber.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the ion filter filters the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio that is lower than the first ratio.
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the ion filter comprises a wire grid about the gas distributor.
- 4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the gas distributor comprises a gas distribution plate, and wherein the wire grid is mounted on the gas distribution plate.
- 5. An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a quartz surface that reduces the number of ionic hydrogen-containing species in the energized gas.
- 6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein a chamber liner comprises the quartz surface.
- 7. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein a conduit connecting the remote source and chamber comprises the quartz surface.
- 8. An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a detector adapted to detect at least one of a radical and ion concentration at one or more locations in the apparatus.
- 9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the process chamber is capable of maintaining a sub-atmospheric pressure.
- 10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the process chamber comprises an exhaust system.
- 11. A substrate cleaning apparatus comprising:
(a) a remote source to remotely energize a hydrogen-containing gas to form a remotely energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species; and (b) a process chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (ii) a gas distributor to introduce the remotely energized gas into the chamber, the gas distributor comprising a quartz plate having apertures to pass the remotely energized gas therethrough; (iii) a quartz chamber liner; and (iv) an exhaust system.
- 12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the remote source is placed a distance d from the quartz plate, such that travel of the remotely energized gas across the distance d results in a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio.
- 13. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the value of the first ratio is at least about 100 times the value of the second ratio.
- 14. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the quartz chamber liner is adapted to further filtering the remotely energized gas.
- 15. A substrate cleaning method comprising:
(a) placing a substrate in a process zone; (b) in a remote zone, coupling energy to a hydrogen-containing gas to form an energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species; (c) filtering the energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio; and (d) introducing the filtered energized gas into the process zone to clean the substrate.
- 16. A method according to claim 15 wherein (c) comprises filtering the energized gas to form a filtered energized gas such that the second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species is lower than the first ratio.
- 17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the value of the first ratio is at least about 100 times the value of the second ratio.
- 18. A method according to claim 15 wherein (c) comprises maintaining an electrically grounded grid between the remote zone and the process zone.
- 19. A method according to claim 15 comprising passing the energized gas across a quartz surface capable of reducing the number of ionic hydrogen-containing species.
- 20. A method according to claim 15 further comprising, after (d) reducing a pressure in the process zone to less than about 10 Torr.
- 21. A method according to claim 15 wherein in (b) the hydrogen-containing gas comprises at least 80% H2.
- 22. A method according to claim 15 wherein in (b) the hydrogen-containing gas comprises H2O.
- 23. A method according to claim 15 wherein the energized gas comprises a nitrogen-containing gas.
- 24. A method according to claim 15 wherein the hydrogen-containing gas comprises NH3.
- 25. A method according to claim 15 wherein the hydrogen-containing gas comprises from about 80% to about 100% by volume of H2 and from about 1% to about 20% by volume of H2O.
- 26. A method according to claim 15 wherein the hydrogen-containing gas comprises from about 80% to about 100% by volume of H2, from about 1% to about 20% by volume of H2O, and from about 1% to about 20% of NH3.
- 27. A method according to claim 15 wherein (d) further comprises applying a bias power level of less than about 100 Watts to an electrode beneath the substrate.
- 28. A method according to claim 15 further comprising maintaining a temperature of the substrate at from about 150° C. to about 350° C.
- 29. A method according to claim 15 wherein (a) comprises placing into the process zone, a substrate comprising exposed metal-containing conductor surfaces and surrounding low-k dielectric, the exposed metal-containing conductor surfaces having deposits thereon.
- 30. An apparatus for cleaning a substrate and depositing a metal-containing conductor on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a cleaning chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (ii) a remote source to remotely energize a hydrogen-containing gas to form an energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species; (iii) an ion filter to filter the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio, the ion filter comprising a quartz gas distributor to introduce the remotely energized gas into the chamber and a quartz chamber liner; and (iv) an exhaust system to exhaust the gas from the cleaning chamber, the exhaust system being capable of maintaining a pressure of less than about 10 mTorr in the cleaning chamber; (b) a deposition chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (iii) a gas delivery system to introduce a gas into the deposition chamber; (iv) a gas energizer to energize the gas to deposit material onto the substrate; and (v) an exhaust system to exhaust the gas from the deposition chamber; (c) a transfer chamber comprising a robot to transfer the substrate from the cleaning chamber to the deposition chamber, the transfer chamber comprising an enclosure capable of maintaining the substrate in a low pressure environment of less than about 10 mTorr and an outlet to exhaust gas from the transfer chamber to maintain the low pressure environment; and (d) a controller to operate the cleaning chamber, deposition chamber, and robot to clean deposits from a first metal-containing conductor on the substrate and transfer the substrate to the deposition chamber to deposit a second metal-containing conductor on the cleaned first metal-containing conductor.
- 31. An apparatus according to claim 30 wherein the cleaning chamber has an ion filter comprising a wire grid about the gas distributor.
- 32. An apparatus according to claim 30 wherein the cleaning chamber comprises a quartz surface that reduces the number of ionic hydrogen-containing species in the energized gas.
- 33. An apparatus according to claim 30 further comprising a second deposition chamber adapted to deposit a third metal-containing conductor onto the second metal-containing conductor.
- 34. A method of cleaning a substrate comprising a dielectric material having features formed therein that expose an underlying metal-containing conductor, the method comprising:
(a) in a heat treatment step, exposing the substrate to a hydrogen-containing gas while maintaining a temperature of the substrate of at least about 100° C.; and (b) in a cleaning step, exposing the substrate to a remotely energized gas, the remotely energized gas comprising radical hydrogen-containing species, to clean the substrate.
- 35. A method according to claim 34 wherein the dielectric material comprises a k value of less than about 3.0.
- 36. A method according to claim 34 wherein (a) comprises maintaining a temperature of the substrate of from about 150° C. to about 350° C.
- 37. A method according to claim 34 wherein (a) comprises providing a flow of H2 into a process zone at a volumetric flow rate of from about 100 sccm to about 5 Liters per minute, and maintaining a pressure in the process zone of less than about 30 Torr.
- 38. A method according to claim 34 wherein (b) comprises (i) coupling energy to a second hydrogen-containing gas in a remote zone to form a remotely energized gas, the remotely energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, (ii) filtering the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being lower than the first ratio, and (iii) exposing the substrate to the filtered energized gas to clean the substrate.
- 39. A method according to claim 34 wherein (a) comprises exposing the substrate to hydrogen-containing gas in a first process zone, and wherein (b) comprises exposing the substrate to the remotely energized gas in a second process zone.
- 40. A method according to claim 34 wherein (a) comprises exposing the substrate to hydrogen-containing gas in a process zone, and wherein (b) comprises exposing the substrate to the remotely energized gas in the same process zone.
- 41. A method according to claim 34 wherein (a) comprises exposing the substrate to the hydrogen-containing gas substantially without coupling RF or microwave power to the hydrogen-containing gas.
- 42. An apparatus for cleaning a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a heat treatment chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (ii) a heater to heat the substrate; (iii) a gas delivery system to introduce a hydrogen-containing gas into the chamber; and (iv) an exhaust system to exhaust gas from the heat treatment chamber; and (a) a cleaning chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (ii) a remote source to remotely energize a hydrogen-containing gas to form an energized gas comprising a first ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species; (iv) a gas distributor to introduce the remotely energized gas into the chamber; (v) an ion filter to filter the remotely energized gas to form a filtered energized gas having a second ratio of ionic hydrogen-containing species to radical hydrogen-containing species, the second ratio being different than the first ratio; and (iv) an exhaust system to exhaust the gas from the cleaning chamber; (c) a transfer chamber comprising a robot to transfer the substrate from the heat treatment chamber to the cleaning chamber, the transfer chamber comprising an enclosure capable of maintaining the substrate in a vacuum environment, and an outlet to exhaust gas from the transfer chamber to maintain the vacuum environment; and (d) a controller to operate the heat treatment chamber, cleaning chamber, and robot to treat the substrate in the heat treatment chamber and transfer the substrate to the cleaning chamber to clean deposits from a metal-containing conductor on the substrate.
- 43. An apparatus according to claim 42 further comprising:
(e) a deposition chamber comprising:
(i) a substrate support; (iii) a gas delivery system to introduce a gas into the deposition chamber; (iv) a gas energizer to energize the gas to deposit material onto the substrate; and (v) an exhaust system to exhaust the gas from the deposition chamber, wherein the controller is adapted to operate the deposition chamber and robot to transfer the substrate from the cleaning chamber to the deposition chamber to deposit a second metal-containing conductor on the first metal-containing conductor.
- 44. An apparatus according to claim 42 wherein the heater comprises a resistive heating element or heating lamp.
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/447,372, filed on Feb. 14, 2003, to Wood et al., commonly assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60447372 |
Feb 2003 |
US |