Patent ID: 7439188

Claim:
A method of operating a reactor which comprises a reactor chamber, an upper electrode, a heater that heats said upper electrode, and gas inlets and outlets, the method comprising: introducing process gas into said reactor chamber, wherein the method of operation of the reactor is a platinum etch method, and wherein oxygen and chlorine are present in the reactor; wherein platinum and one or both of the oxygen and the chlorine are deposited on the upper electrode; heating the upper electrode with said heater to a temperature in order to cause deposits of oxygen and chlorine to de-absorb from the upper electrode in order to leave mostly platinum deposited on the electrode, such that a layer of material is formed on the upper electrode; wherein the layer of material formed on the upper electrode is more stable than a layer of material formed when heating the upper electrode with said heater to a temperature insufficient to cause deposits of oxygen and chlorine to de-absorb from the upper electrode.