Patent ID: 6802933
Filing Date: 2004-10-12
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer in a processing chamber, said apparatus comprising:a gas panel coupled to said processing chamber; an antenna proximate to said processing chamber; a power supply coupled to said antenna; and a controller, coupled to said antenna and said gas panel, said controller containing a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therein, said program code for controlling the apparatus in accordance with the following: (a) loading a substrate into a processing chamber having deposits on chamber surfaces which were generated during processing of a previous substrate; (b) conducting an etch process on said loaded substrate which removes at least a portion of an exposed layer present on said substrate to produce a cleaning material which simultaneously removes at least a portion of said deposits from said chamber surfaces during said etch, wherein in accordance with program code from said readable storage medium, a plasma source gas used to generate an etchant plasma is furnished to said processing chamber via said gas panel, and wherein in accordance with program code from said readable storage medium, said power supplied to generate and maintain said plasma is furnished to said processing chamber by said power supply coupled to said antenna; and (c) controlling said power supply in accordance with program code from said readable storage medium to provide energy to said antenna proximate to said processing chamber, thereby effecting the removal of said deposits from said chamber surfaces.