Reactor box chamber cleaning using molecular fluorine

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for the cleaning reactor box chambers using molecular fluorine as the cleaning material. The molecular fluorine is dissociated in-situ in the chamber using the chamber RF power source. An exemplary method for of cleaning a reactor box chamber may comprise the steps: introducing molecular fluorine to the chamber; dissociating the molecular fluorine to create fluorine radicals; allowing the fluorine radicals to react with unwanted deposits in the chamber; and removing the resultant gas from the chamber.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a new method and apparatus for cleaning reaction chambers. Background technique [0002] Plasma deposition chambers (also known as "reactor boxes" or "plasma chambers") are used to deposit thin films primarily for photovoltaic applications and devices. These chambers are especially useful for forming thin films for solar panels, TFT display panels and plasma display panels. For example, a reaction chamber is described in US Pat. No. 4,798,739 (Schmitt) with a low pressure vessel placed within an airtight chamber, where the airtight chamber is at a lower pressure than the low pressure vessel. The reaction chamber is for performing plasma deposition onto at least two substrates spaced in a substantially parallel relationship within the vessel. To achieve the decomposition of the gaseous reactants in the container, at least one perforated electrode generating a polarized plasma is inserted between the substrates. [000...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Finally, the multiple reaction pathways available to fluorine-containing gases (which tend to dominate especially at commercially viable pressures and activation powers) lead to inefficiencies in the use of these compounds for chamber cleaning

Therefore, the use of these gases results in very low mass efficiency

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