Remote plasma burn-in
Methods of treating the interior of a plasma region are described. The methods include a preventative maintenance procedure or the start-up of a new substrate processing chamber having a remote plasma system. A new interior surface is exposed within the remote plasma system. The (new) interior surfaces are then treated by sequential steps of (1) forming a remote plasma from hydrogen-containing precursor within the remote plasma system and then (2) exposing the interior surfaces to water vapor. Steps (1)-(2) are repeated at least ten times to complete the burn-in process. Following the treatment of the interior surfaces, a substrate may be transferred into a substrate processing chamber. A dielectric film may then be formed on the substrate by flowing one precursor through the remote plasma source and combining the plasma effluents with a second precursor flowing directly to the substrate processing region.
1. A method of treating a remote plasma system fluidly coupled to a substrate processing region of a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising the sequential steps of:
(1) flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the remote plasma system while forming a first plasma in the remote plasma system during a hydrogen-containing plasma exposure,
(2) flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into the remote plasma system during an oxygen-containing exposure, and
repeating steps (1) and (2) until the total number of cycles is about ten or more;
wherein the remote plasma system comprises a remote plasma region within the substrate processing chamber and fluidly coupled to the substrate processing region by way of a showerhead.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises ammonia (NH 3 ).
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises hydrogen (H 2 ).
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing precursor comprises water vapor (H 2 O).
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing precursor comprises at least one of water vapor (H 2 O), oxygen (O 2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and/or ozone (O 3 ).
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote plasma system comprises an external remote plasma system outside the substrate processing chamber and fluidly coupled to the remote plasma region.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of flowing the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises flowing the hydrogen-containing precursor at a flow rate greater than or about 50 sccm.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of flowing the oxygen-containing precursor comprises flowing the oxygen-containing precursor at a flow rate greater than or about 50 sccm.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein, after the total number of cycles, the the method further comprises forming a silicon-nitrogen-and-hydrogen-containing layer by:
flowing a nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen-containing precursor into a plasma region to produce a radical-nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen precursor;
combining a silicon-containing precursor with the radical-nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen precursor in a plasma-free substrate processing region; and
depositing the silicon-nitrogen-and-hydrogen-containing layer on the substrate.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the silicon-containing precursor is a carbon-free silicon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen-containing precursor comprises at least one of N 2 H 2 , NH 3 , N 2 and H 2 .
12. The method of claim 9 wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises a silicon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises H 2 N(SiH 3 ), HN(SiH 3 ) 2 , and N(SiH 3 ) 3 .
14. The method of claim 1 wherein a duration of step (1) is greater than or about thirty seconds and less than or about one hour.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein a duration of step (2) is greater than or about two seconds and less than or about two minutes.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of forming the first plasma comprises a plasma power between about 100 watts and about 3000 watts.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of flowing the oxygen-containing precursor further comprises forming a second plasma in the remote plasma system.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the second plasma occurs during a first portion of the step of flowing the oxygen-containing precursor and essentially no plasma power is applied to the remote plasma system during a subsequent portion.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein the operation of forming the second plasma comprises a plasma power between about 100 watts and about 3000 watts.
20. The method of claim 1 wherein a pressure in the remote plasma region during each of the hydrogen-containing plasma exposure and the oxygen-containing exposure is greater than or about 0.5 Torr and less than or about 100 Torr.