Patent ID: 7506654

Claim:
A method of removing residue from a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising: initiating a plasma within the remote plasma chamber while flowing a first gas consisting of a substantially pure inert gas into a remote plasma chamber; flowing a nitrogen trifluoride gas into the remote plasma chamber and into the plasma; creating a plurality of reactive fluorine species in the remote plasma chamber while increasing a rate at which the nitrogen trifluoride gas is introduced into the remote plasma chamber; and introducing the plurality of reactive fluorine species into the substrate processing chamber; wherein the flow rates of the first gas and nitrogen trifluoride gas introduced into the remote plasma chamber during the method of removing residue are controlled to avoid an abrupt change in pressure within the remote plasma chamber that extinguishes the plasma and wherein a ratio of inert gas to nitrogen trifluoride introduced into the remote plasma chamber is maintained above 1:1 while the rate at which nitrogen trifluoride is introduced is increased.