Patent ID: 6159859
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: C23F,H01L

Abstract:
A process for thermal, vapor phase simultaneous removal of silicon oxides and metal-containing contaminants trapped in said oxide from a surface of a substrate of a type used in manufacturing semiconductor devices, comprising; contacting the substrate with a cleaning reagent at an elevated temperature in the range of greater than 50.degree. C. to less than 125.degree. C. appropriate to generate an effective amount of said cleaning reagent to form volatile by-products of said silicon oxides and said metal-containing contaminants and removing said volatile by-products from the surface, wherein said cleaning reagent is a complex of hydrogen fluoride and an oxygen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of one or more of 1,2-propanedione, a .beta.-diketone or a .beta.-diketoimine of the formula: ##STR8## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 are independently selected from a linear or branched non-fluorinated, partially-fluorinated or fully fluorinated alkyl, alkenyl or aryl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms; R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom or a linear or branched non-fluorinated, partially fluorinated or fully fluorinated alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms, Y is selected from an oxygen atom, N-R.sup.4 where R.sup.4 is selected from a non-fluorinated, partially fluorinated, or fully fluorinated alkyl, aryl, aralkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or Y has the formula: ##STR9## where R.sup.5, R.sup.6, and R.sup.7 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom or a linear or branched non-fluorinated, partially fluorinated or fully fluorinated alkyl or alkenyl group having from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms, and R.sup.8 is a linear or branched non-fluorinated, partially fluorinated or fully fluorinated alkylene, alkenylene, phenylene, alkylphenylene or hydroxyalkylene group having from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms.