Deposition chamber cleaning system and method
View Patent ↗An in-situ method of cleaning a vacuum deposition chamber can include flowing at least one reactive gas into the chamber.
1. A system for cleaning a metal chalcogenide residue from a deposition chamber surface, comprising:
a deposition chamber comprising an interior surface, a deposition gas inlet, a reactive gas inlet, an inert gas inlet, and an outlet;
a reactive gas source connected to the reactive gas inlet and configured to deliver a reactive gas comprising a hydrogen halide to the deposition chamber, where the reactive gas can react with a metal chalcogenide formed on the interior surface to form a purgable material;
an inert gas source connected to the inert gas inlet and configured to deliver an inert gas to the deposition chamber and flush a purgable material from the deposition chamber through the outlet.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metal chalcogenide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, titanium, indium, and zinc.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the metal chalcogenide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, and selenium.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen halide comprises hydrogen chloride.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second reactive gas source comprising a second reactive gas comprising a material selected from the group consisting of an acid, oxygen, fluorine, and tetrafluoromethane.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inert gas source comprises a material selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and helium.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a heater to heat the deposition chamber interior surface to a temperature sufficient to maintain a purgable material as a vapor.