IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,618,947
Granted Patent B2
US 11,618,947 · App. 16/573,554 · Granted Apr 4, 2023

Method of cleaning, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium

Inventors: Kazuhiro Harada (Toyama, JP); Shingo Nohara (Toyama, JP); Yuji Urano (Toyama, JP); Yasunobu Koshi (Toyama, JP); Masayoshi Minami (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
C23C16/4405C23C16/4412C23C16/52H01L21/67248H01L21/67253
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,618,947
App. No.
16/573,554
Granted
Apr 4, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a technique of cleaning an inside of a process container, including: (a) removing substances adhered in a process container set at a first temperature by supplying a first gas at a first flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container; (b) physically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a second temperature by supplying a second gas at a second flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container; and (c) chemically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a third temperature by supplying a third gas at a third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container.

Claims (31)

1. A method of cleaning an inside of a process container, comprising:

(a) removing substances adhered in a process container set at a first temperature after performing a process on a substrate by supplying a first gas including a fluorine-based gas at a first flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container;

(b) physically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a second temperature higher than the first temperature after performing (a) by supplying a second gas, without supplying any fluorine-based gas, at a second flow rate higher than the first flow rate and a third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container, the second gas not reacting chemically with fluorine under the second temperature; and

(c) chemically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a third temperature higher than the first temperature after performing (a) by supplying a third gas, without supplying any fluorine-based gas, at the third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container, the third gas reacting chemically with fluorine under the third temperature.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an internal pressure of the process container in (c) is set to be higher than an internal pressure of the process container in (b).

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein (c) is performed after performing (b).

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein (c) is performed after an internal temperature of the process container is stabilized to the third temperature.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (c), residual fluorine which has not been removed in (b) is desorbed and removed.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second temperature and the third temperature are set to be equal to each other.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: (d) performing a process, which is the same as the process on the substrate, on the inside of the process container set at a fourth temperature after performing (c),

wherein the second temperature, the third temperature, and the fourth temperature are set to be equal to one another.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in (b), the act of supplying the second gas into the process container and the act of exhausting the inside of the process container are alternately repeated a plurality of times.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second gas includes an inert gas, and the third gas includes a nitrogen oxide-based gas.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first gas further includes a nitrogen oxide-based gas.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the nitrogen oxide-based gas includes a nitrogen monoxide gas.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the nitrogen oxide-based gas includes a nitrogen monoxide gas.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein (b) and (c) are alternately repeated a plurality of times.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein a ratio of an execution time of (c) to an execution time of (b) is changed.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein a ratio of an execution time of (c) to an execution time of (b) is gradually increased.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein (a), (b), and (c) are performed under a non-plasma atmosphere.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein (a), (b), and (c) are performed by applying thermal energy, without applying plasma energy, to an internal atmosphere of the process container.

18. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

performing a process on a substrate in a process container; and

cleaning an inside of the process container, the act of cleaning including:

(a) removing substances adhered in the process container set at a first temperature after performing the process on the substrate by supplying a first gas including a fluorine-based gas at a first flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container;

(b) physically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a second temperature higher than the first temperature after performing (a) by supplying a second gas, without supplying any fluorine-based gas, at a second flow rate higher than the first flow rate and a third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container, the second gas not reacting chemically with fluorine under the second temperature; and

(c) chemically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a third temperature higher than the first temperature after performing (a) by supplying a third gas, without supplying any fluorine-based gas, at the third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container, the third gas reacting chemically with fluorine under the third temperature.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform a process of cleaning an inside of a process container of the substrate processing apparatus, the process comprising:

(a) removing substances adhered in the process container set at a first temperature after performing a process on a substrate by supplying a first gas including a fluorine-based gas at a first flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container;

(b) physically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a second temperature higher than the first temperature after performing (a) by supplying a second gas, without supplying any fluorine-based gas, at a second flow rate higher than the first flow rate and a third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container, the second gas not reacting chemically with fluorine under the second temperature; and

(c) chemically desorbing and removing residual fluorine in the process container set at a third temperature higher than the first temperature after performing (a) by supplying a third gas, without supplying any fluorine-based gas, at the third flow rate into the process container and exhausting the inside of the process container, the third gas reacting chemically with fluorine under the third temperature.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 25, 2019
From: HARADA, KAZUHIRO; NOHARA, SHINGO; URANO, YUJI; KOSHI, YASUNOBU; MINAMI, MASAYOSHI
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050490/0362 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2018-178942 · Sep 25, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200095678A1 · Mar 26, 2020