Patent ID: 6543459
Filing Date: 2003-04-08
Classification: C23C,H01J,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of determining an endpoint for a cleaning operation, comprising:performing a deposition operation in a deposition chamber, the deposition chamber including at least one electrical element disposed such that the at least one electrical element is exposed to the deposition operation; performing a cleaning operation in the deposition chamber, the at least one electrical element disposed such that the at least one electrical element is exposed to the cleaning operation; measuring, subsequent to a beginning of the cleaning operation, a characteristic of the at least one electrical element which is indicative of the amount of deposition and cleaning; and signalling an endpoint of the cleaning operation when the measured characteristic reaches a predetermined value; wherein the deposition operation comprises a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, the cleaning operation comprises exposing the chamber to a plasma, the at least one electrical element comprises at least one parallel plate capacitor, and the characteristic of the at least one electrical element that is measured is capacitance.