Cleaning method used in removing contaminants from the surface of an oxide or fluoride comprising a group III B metal

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a cleaning method useful in removing contaminants from a surface of a coating which comprises an oxide or fluoride of a Group III B metal. Typically the coating overlies an aluminum substrate which is present as part of a semiconductor processing apparatus. The coating typically comprises an oxide or a fluoride of Y, Sc, La, Ce, Eu, Dy, or the like, or yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG). The coating may further comprise about 20 volume % or less of Al2O3.

Description

[0001] The present application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 898,113, filed Jul. 22, 2004, and titled “Clean, Dense Yttrium Oxide Coating Protecting Semiconductor Processing Apparatus”, which is presently pending, and which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 075,967, filed Feb. 14, 2002, and titled “Yttrium Oxide Based Surface Coating For Semiconductor IC Processing Vacuum Chambers”, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,873 on Aug. 17, 2004.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to equipment and apparatus used in the manufacture of electronic devices including semiconductor devices, MEM devices, and other devices used in data manipulation, storage, and display, for example and not by way of limitation. In particular, the invention pertains to the use of yttrium oxide-comprising protective layers which are applied to a surface of apparatus, such as process chambe...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a method for protecting aluminum alloy substrates and components from corrosion in plasma processing chambers. The method involves applying a coating made of yttrium oxide or a combination of yttrium oxide and aluminum oxide onto the surface of the substrate. The coating is placed in compression, which helps prevent mobile impurities from migrating from the substrate and causes the coating to have better resistance to corrosion. The coating can be applied using various methods such as thermal spray, plasma discharge spray, sputtering, or chemical vapor deposition. The thickness of the coating should be at least about 4 mils, and it should be pre-roughened before application. The method can provide better protection against corrosion and improve the machinability of the substrate.

Problems solved by technology

When the upper surface of the aluminum alloy substrate to which the coating is applied is at a temperature of less than about 150-200° C., the coating will not be placed under adequate compression upon cooling to provide the desired corrosion resistance, and will not be sufficiently useful in acting to prevent particulates in the aluminum alloy substrate from migrating into the coating.

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