Patent ID: 6395099
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: C23C,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of selectively cleaning a surface of a semiconductor process chamber, comprising:selecting two surfaces of the processing chamber, each surface at a given temperature being capable of reacting with a reactant introduced to into the chamber, one of these selected surfaces comprising at least a liner or a window surface of the chamber having deposits thereon and needing cleaning; creating a predetermined temperature differential between the selected surfaces by allowing heated object in the chamber to transfer heating energy to the surface needing cleaning so that the surface needing cleaning becomes the surfaces at the higher end of the temperature differential and by cooling the other selected surface by a cooling means so that the other selected surface becomes the surfaces at the lower end of the temperature differential; contacting the surfaces with the reactant during the predetermined temperature differential between the surfaces, the reactant being capable of acting on the deposits to remove them from the surface needing cleaning; allowing sufficient time for the reactant to react preferentially at the surface needing cleaning to a predetermined degree relative to the other selected surface so as to remove deposits on the surface needing cleaning; and removing the deposits from the chamber.