Patent ID: 7662235

Claim:
A method of cleaning an etching apparatus that conducts etching of a film to be etched made of a stack of any one layer or more than one layer of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium oxide (TiO), aluminum (Al) or an aluminum alloy using as an etching gas a mixed gas produced by adding at least one of methane (CH 4 ), ethane (C 2 H 6 ), acetylene (C 2 H 2 ), dichloromethane (CH 2 Cl 2 ), dibromomethane (CH 2 Br 2 ), chloromethane (CH 3 Cl), bromomethane (CH 3 Br) and fluoromethane (CH 3 F) to at least one of chlorine (Cl 2 ), boron trichloride (BCl 3 ) and hydrogen bromide (HBr), wherein each time etching of the film to be etched is completed, the method of cleaning comprises: replacing the substrate (wafer) on which the film to be etched is formed with a dummy substrate, and cleaning the interior of a process chamber of the etching apparatus by producing a plasma therein, wherein said cleaning the interior of the process chamber is performed by successively performing a first step of cleaning using a plasma of a mixed gas of 87.0-95.2% of oxygen (O 2 ) and 4.8-13.0% of carbon tetrafluoride (CF 4 ) under a processing pressure of 5-12 Pa for 20-90 seconds, and a second step of cleaning using a plasma of a mixed gas of 10.0-30.0% of boron trichloride (BCl 3 ) and 70.0-90.0% of chlorine (Cl 2 ) for 20-90 seconds, and wherein in the second step of cleaning, an etching residue of said film to be etched and Al 2 O 3 underlying a reaction product formed as a result of reaction of said film to be etched and said etching gas are shaved, whereby said etching residue and said reaction product are removed.