Equipment for gas by-product abatement and foreline cleaning

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include an abatement system and method for abatement of compounds generated in a semiconductor process. The abatement system includes a remote plasma source for generating an oxidizing plasma, the oxidizing plasma being used to treat exhaust gases from a deposition process performed in a processing chamber, the treatment aiding in capturing particles in an exhaust cooling device. The remote plasma source then generates a cleaning plasma, the cleaning plasma being used to treat exhaust gases from a cleaning process performed in the processing chamber, the cleaning plasma reacting with captured particles in an exhaust cooling device and cleaning the exhaust cooling device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to semiconductor processing equipment. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to abatement systems and vacuum processing systems for removing undesirable compounds generated during semiconductor processing. Background Art

[0002] Process gases used by semiconductor processing facilities include many compounds, such as TEOS, SiH4, that must be eliminated or treated prior to disposal due to regulatory requirements and environmental and safety considerations. Conventional abatement techniques can result in the formation of solid particles in equipment downstream of the processing chamber, such as exhaust lines and pumps. If solid particles formed in equipment downstream of the processing chamber, such as exhaust lines and pumps, are not properly controlled, damage to hardware in the pumping system may occur.

[0003] Thus, there is a need in the art for improved abatement systems for abatement of compounds generated during semiconductor processing. Summary of the invention

[0004] In one embodiment, a reagent is injected into the plasma source to assist in the abatement of the compound. The plasma is used as an energy source to change the composition of the compound from the chamber to a different compound that better meets regulatory limits, improves safety, and provides improved life and maintenance intervals for exhaust pumps and downstream abatement components.

[0005] In one embodiment, an abatement system for a processing chamber is provided. The abatement system includes an exhaust system including a vacuum pump coupled to the processing chamber; an exhaust cooling device coupled to the exhaust system between the processing chamber and the vacuum pump; and a remote plasma source having an outlet for supplying plasma to the exhaust system downstream of the processing chamber and before the exhaust cooling device. The remote plasma source is connected to an oxygen source, a cleaning gas source, and an inert gas source, wherein an outlet fluid of the remote plasma source is connected to enter an exhaust foreline, and the location of entry is adjacent to an inlet of a connection to the exhaust cooling device to the foreline.

[0006] In one embodiment, a processing system is provided. The processing system includes: a processing chamber; an exhaust system, the exhaust system including a vacuum pump coupled to the processing chamber; an exhaust cooling device, the exhaust cooling device coupled to the exhaust system between the processing chamber and the vacuum pump; and a remote plasma source, the remote plasma source for supplying plasma to the exhaust system downstream of the processing chamber and before the exhaust cooling device. The remote plasma source is connected to an oxygen source, a cleaning gas source, and an inert gas source, wherein an outlet fluid of the remote plasma source is connected to enter an exhaust foreline, and the location of entry is adjacent to an inlet of a connection to the exhaust cooling device to the foreline.

[0007] In one embodiment, a method for treating gases in an exhaust system of a processing chamber is provided. The method includes treating exhaust gases from a deposition process performed in the processing chamber using an oxidizing plasma generated by a remote plasma source; capturing particles in an exhaust cooling device; and treating exhaust gases from a cleaning process performed in the processing chamber using a cleaning plasma generated by the remote plasma source. The cleaning plasma reacts with the captured particles in the exhaust cooling device and cleans the exhaust cooling device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to be able to understand in detail the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are used, a more particular description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be made with reference to embodiments, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, as the present disclosure may admit of other equally effective embodiments.

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and an abatement system including a remote plasma source and exhaust cooling apparatus according to one embodiment described herein.

[0010] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method for treating exhaust gas according to one embodiment described herein is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Figure 1Schematic side view of a vacuum processing system 170 incorporating a remote plasma source 100 into an abatement system 102. The vacuum processing system 170 includes at least a vacuum processing chamber 190 and an abatement system 102. The abatement system 102 includes at least a plasma source 100, an exhaust cooling device 117, and a process vacuum pump 196. The vacuum processing chamber 190 is generally configured to perform at least one integrated circuit manufacturing process, such as a deposition process, an etching process, a plasma processing process, a pre-cleaning process, an ion implantation process, and / or other integrated circuit manufacturing processes. In some embodiments, the vacuum processing chamber 190 is configured to process substrates for device manufacturing, display or solar energy applications. The process performed in the vacuum processing chamber 190 may be plasma assisted, such as a plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition chamber capable of performing a plasma enhanced deposition process. For example, the process performed in the vacuum processing chamber 190 can perform a plasma enhanced deposition process for depositing silicon-based materials using a silicon-containing gas (e.g., silane, disilane) or a plasma etching process for removing silicon-based materials.

[0012] The vacuum processing chamber 190 has a chamber exhaust port 191, which is coupled to an exhaust cooling device 117 of the abatement system 102 via an exhaust foreline 192. The exhaust cooling device 117 is coupled to the vacuum processing chamber 190 so as to cool the exhaust gas leaving the plasma source 100 and collect particles, such as silicon dioxide particles, formed in the exhaust foreline that exit from the vacuum processing chamber 190. The exhaust cooling device 117 is coupled to an exhaust conduit 193 and to a process vacuum pump 196. An exhaust conduit 194 couples the vacuum pump 196 to a combustion / wet abatement subsystem 198. The process vacuum pump 196 is typically used to evacuate the vacuum processing chamber 190, and the combustion / wet abatement subsystem 198 typically includes a scrubber or other exhaust cleaning device for preparing the effluent of the vacuum processing chamber 190 to enter the atmosphere.

[0013] The exhaust cooling device 117 is coupled between the vacuum processing chamber 190 and the process vacuum pump 196 for reducing the temperature of the exhaust in the exhaust foreline 192 and for collecting particles formed in the exhaust foreline 192. In one example, the exhaust cooling device 117 is part of the abatement system 102. Exhaust gas exiting the vacuum processing chamber 190 may be deposited on cold surfaces (surfaces having a temperature substantially lower than the exhaust temperature) inside the exhaust cooling device 117. An example of a material that may be collected in the exhaust cooling device is silicon dioxide.

[0014] In some embodiments, the vacuum processing chamber 190 includes a remote plasma source 185 for generating cleaning radicals, such as fluorine radicals, which flow into a processing region 189 of the vacuum processing chamber 190 to clean the vacuum processing chamber 190. Unreacted cleaning radicals may exit the vacuum processing chamber 190 and enter the exhaust foreline 192 and the exhaust cooling device 117, thereby removing materials previously deposited in the exhaust foreline 192 and the exhaust cooling device 117 during the integrated circuit manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the cleaning process performed within the vacuum processing chamber 190 is effectively performed, which results in a minimal amount of unreacted cleaning radicals exiting the vacuum processing chamber 190 and entering the exhaust foreline 192. A cleaning process that effectively cleans the vacuum processing chamber 190 will generally not provide enough cleaning radicals to effectively clean the exhaust cooling device 117 during normal use.

[0015] Thus, in order to ensure that sufficient unreacted cleaning radicals reach and effectively clean the exhaust cooling device 117, the abatement system 102 includes a remote plasma source 100, which can be used to provide a cleaning plasma to clean the exhaust cooling device 117. The remote plasma source 100 is used to perform an abatement process on the gas and / or other materials leaving the vacuum processing chamber 190, so that these gases and / or other materials can be subsequently captured or converted into more environmentally friendly and / or processing equipment friendly components. For example, the remote plasma source can be an inductively coupled plasma source, a capacitively coupled plasma source, a DC plasma source, or a microwave plasma source. The remote plasma source 100 can be coupled to the abatement system 102 to ionize, clean, purify the carrier or other processing gas, and provide the ionized gas to the abatement system 102, and generate cleaning radicals to clean the exhaust cooling device 117. For example, the first gas supply source 104 can be coupled to the remote plasma source 100 to provide an inert or non-reactive gas (such as argon (Ar)) to the abatement system 102 via it. A second gas supply source 106 may be coupled to the remote plasma source 100 to provide a cleaning gas (such as NF3) therethrough to the abatement system 102. Other contemplated cleaning gases include fluorocarbon and / or halogen-containing gases such as NF2H, CHF3, CF4, F2, HCl, Cl2, and SF6, and the like. Additionally, a third gas supply source 108 may be coupled to the remote plasma source 100 to provide a reactive reagent (such as O2) therethrough to the abatement system 102. Figure 1As shown, the remote plasma source 100 may be coupled to an exhaust foreline 192 via conduit 112. The reactive gas facilitates the removal of accumulated deposits from the interior volume of the abatement system 102, thereby reducing or eliminating the need to disassemble the abatement system 102 for cleaning. In one embodiment, the clean radicals (such as NF3 plasma) generated in the plasma source 100 may flow into the exhaust foreline 192 and into the exhaust cooling device 117 to remove solid byproduct materials or particles formed or collected in the exhaust cooling device 117.

[0016] In one embodiment, an oxidizing agent (such as an O plasma) generated in the remote plasma source 100 may be delivered from the remote plasma source 100 to the exhaust foreline 192 to react with precursor products flowing from the vacuum processing chamber 190 to the process vacuum pump 196 during deposition processing. The oxidizing agent reacts with the precursor byproducts from the deposition process and promotes the conversion of the precursor gas byproducts into solid byproducts or particles to enhance the amount of solid byproducts or particles captured in the exhaust cooling device 117. Increasing the amount of solid byproducts captured in the exhaust cooling device 117 reduces the amount of reactant byproduct gas flowing through the exhaust cooling device 117 and into the process vacuum pump 196, through the exhaust conduit 194, and to the combustion / wet abatement subsystem 198, thereby increasing the expected life of the process vacuum pump 196 and the combustion / wet abatement subsystem 198, and also reducing the maintenance interval of the process vacuum pump 196 and the combustion / wet abatement subsystem 198, thereby helping to increase tool uptime.

[0017] The exhaust cooling device 117 may be located at a distance D from the processing chamber 190 in a subfab location of the manufacturing facility. F The outlet of the remote plasma source 100 of the abatement system 102 may flow into the exhaust foreline 192 at a location 195 in the exhaust foreline that is substantially adjacent to the inlet of the exhaust cooling device 117. In one example, the location 195 is located at a distance DR before the exhaust foreline 192 enters the exhaust cooling device 117, such as a distance between 6 inches and 18 inches or about 12 inches. It has been found that when the O2 plasma generated by the remote plasma source 100 is introduced into the exhaust foreline 192 at a distance DR (between 6 inches and 18 inches) from the inlet to the exhaust cooling device 117, the exhaust cooling device 117 captures more solid byproduct materials.

[0018] Exhaust duct 194 allows gas to flow from process vacuum pump 196 to combustion / wet elimination subsystem 198. For example, exhaust foreline 192, exhaust duct 193, vacuum pump 196 and exhaust duct 194, and associated hardware can be formed of one or more process compatible materials, such as aluminum, anodized aluminum, nickel-plated aluminum, stainless steel, and combinations and alloys thereof. For example, exhaust cooling device 117 can be formed of similar process compatible materials or made of materials that facilitate condensation of exhaust gases. Combustion / wet elimination subsystem 198 can be a combustion / wet elimination subsystem as known in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. For example, elimination system 102 can be provided in a location separate from vacuum processing chamber 190 in a manufacturing facility and separated from vacuum processing chamber 190 by a wall or floor 301. The separation of elimination system 102 from the vacuum processing chamber allows the elimination system to be maintained in an environment that does not require strict clean room air purity levels.

[0019] The abatement system 102 including the remote plasma source 100, the first gas supply 104, the second gas supply 106, the third gas supply 108 and the exhaust cooling device 117 may be in communication with the controller 199. The controller 199 may also be in communication with the vacuum processing chamber 190 and the process vacuum pump 196.

[0020] The controller 199 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 199A, a memory 199B, and support circuits (or I / O) 199C. The CPU may be one of any form of computer processors that are used in industrial settings to control various processes and hardware (e.g., motors, valves, power delivery components and other related hardware) and monitor processes (e.g., processing time and substrate positioning or location). The memory (not shown) is connected to the CPU and may be one or more of readily available memories, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), floppy disk, hard disk, or any other form of digital storage (local or remote). Software instructions, algorithms, and data may be encoded and stored in the memory for instructing the CPU. Support circuits (not shown) are also connected to the CPU for supporting the processor in a conventional manner. The support circuits may include conventional caches, power supplies, clock circuits, input / output circuits, subsystems, and the like. The program (or computer instructions) readable by the controller determines which tasks may be performed by the elimination system 102. The program may be software readable by the controller and may include code for monitoring and controlling, for example, process time and eliminating system process variables and process actions.

[0021] In operation, the controller 199 detects when deposition occurs in the vacuum processing chamber 190 and causes an oxidizing reagent generated in the remote plasma source 100 to be delivered to the exhaust foreline 192 to react with precursor products flowing out of the vacuum processing chamber 190. The controller 199 also detects when the performance of the processing system is hampered by a large amount of particles accumulating in the exhaust cooling device 117, and the controller 199 may cause a cleaning plasma to be generated using the remote plasma source 100, and direct the cleaning plasma to the exhaust cooling device to react with and remove particles deposited in the exhaust cooling device.

[0022] Figure 2 A method is shown for using a reactive plasma enhancement gas to react with a precursor byproduct flowing in an exhaust foreline, forming a solid byproduct, and then capturing the solid byproduct in an exhaust cooling device. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a subsequent plasma containing a cleaning gas reacts with the captured solid byproduct to form an evaporable material. As shown at operation block 202, a substrate deposition process is performed in a vacuum processing chamber to form an exhaust gas. For example, referring to Figure 1 A plasma deposition process using a precursor gas, such as TEOS or other silane-based precursors, is performed in a processing region 189 of a vacuum processing chamber 190 to deposit a film on a substrate disposed therein. The process produces exhaust gases including unprocessed precursor gases that exit the chamber through a chamber exhaust port 191 and enter an exhaust foreline 192 as an exhaust gas flow.

[0023] Operations continue at operation block 204 by generating a reactive plasma in the abatement system using the remote plasma source 100 and mixing the plasma enhanced reactive gas with the exhaust gas flow delivered from the processing chamber 190. For example, referring to Figure 1 During the plasma deposition process, a reactive plasma using oxygen is generated in the remote plasma source 100, thereby generating an oxidizing plasma. The oxidizing plasma enters the exhaust foreline 192 via the conduit 112 at a location 195 in the foreline (a distance between 6 inches and 18 inches from the exhaust cooling device 117). The oxidizing plasma reacts with reactive, flammable and / or explosive gases found in the exhaust gas stream, thereby reducing the amount of flammable or explosive gases that enter the process vacuum pump 196 and further downstream into the combustion / wet elimination subsystem 198 and other facility scrubber exhaust pumps. In one example, the reaction between the oxidizing plasma and the byproduct gases in the exhaust gas stream promotes the conversion of the precursor byproduct gases into solid byproducts or particles, such as silicon dioxide.

[0024] At operation block 206, the operation continues by capturing particulates in an area of ​​the exhaust line (e.g., the exhaust cooling device 117). As an example, (and see Figure 1 ), particles generated by the reaction between the precursor byproduct gas and the oxidizing plasma are captured in the exhaust cooling device 117 connected between the vacuum processing chamber 190 and the vacuum pump 196. The reaction that generates the particles reduces the amount of flammable or explosive gases in the exhaust gas flow. Reducing the amount of flammable or explosive gases entering the pump 196 and the combustion / wet elimination subsystem 198 extends the life of these components, shortens maintenance intervals, and also increases tool operation time.

[0025] Operation block 208 is an optional cleaning operation for removing particles from the exhaust cooling device before the subsequent chamber cleaning operation block 210. In the case where the performance of the processing system is hindered by a large amount of particles accumulated in the exhaust cooling device, the optional operation block 208 can be performed. At operation block 208, a cleaning plasma is generated in the abatement system 102 using a remote plasma source 100 and the cleaning plasma is directed to the exhaust foreline 192 and to the exhaust cooling device 117. For example, after determining that the amount of particles in the exhaust cooling device has a negative impact on the performance of the vacuum processing system 170, a cleaning plasma (such as a fluorine plasma that produces clean radicals) is generated in the remote plasma source 100 within the abatement system 102. The cleaning plasma enters the exhaust foreline 192 at position 195 via the conduit 112, and enters the exhaust cooling device 117 and reacts with the deposited particles and removes these particles. In one example, NF3 is used as a cleaning gas to form the cleaning plasma. Other contemplated cleaning gases include fluorocarbons and halogen-containing gases such as NF2H, CHF3, CF4, F2, HCl, Cl2, and SF6, and the like.

[0026] Operation resumes at operation block 210 by performing a chamber cleaning process in the vacuum processing chamber 190. For example, (see Figure 1 ) Once the deposition process or series of deposition processes is completed, and between processing substrates, a remote plasma source 185 fluidly connected to the vacuum processing chamber generates a cleaning plasma, such as a fluorine plasma that generates cleaning free radicals. The cleaning free radicals flow into the processing area 189 of the vacuum processing chamber 190 to react with and remove the deposited materials remaining on the interior chamber walls and processing chamber components from the deposition process. Suitable cleaning gases include fluorocarbons and halogen-containing gases, such as NF3, NF2H, CHF3, CF4, F2, HCl, Cl2, and SF6 and the like. The resulting cleaning process exhaust gas, including unreacted cleaning free radicals, enters the exhaust foreline 192 and the abatement system 102.

[0027] At operation block 212, operation continues by the following steps: using the remote plasma source 100 to generate a cleaning plasma in the abatement system 102 and mixing the cleaning plasma with the exhaust gas flow generated by the processing chamber cleaning process. For example, during the chamber cleaning process in the vacuum processing chamber 190, a cleaning plasma (such as a fluorine plasma that generates clean free radicals) is generated in the remote plasma source 100 in the abatement system 102. The cleaning plasma enters the exhaust foreline 192 at position 195 via the pipeline 112 and mixes with the exhaust gas in the exhaust foreline 192. The cleaning plasma enters the exhaust cooling device 117 and reacts with and removes the deposited particulate materials remaining trapped in the exhaust cooling device 117 during the deposition process. The deposited material reacts with the cleaning plasma to produce non-reactive gas byproducts, which continue along the exhaust pipeline 193 and enter the processing vacuum pump 196 and further downstream into the combustion / wet abatement subsystem 198 and other facility scrubber exhaust pumps. In one example, NF3 is used as a cleaning gas to form a cleaning plasma. Suitable cleaning gases for generating the cleaning plasma include, but are not limited to, fluorocarbons and / or halogen-containing gases such as NF3, NF2H, CHF3, CF4, F2, HCl, Cl2, and SF6 and the like. In one example, the NF3 cleaning plasma reacts with the deposited particles (such as silicon dioxide) to form a non-reactive gas SiF4. The non-reactive SiF4 flows through the process vacuum pump 196 and into the combustion / wet elimination subsystem, where the SiF4 is again converted into a particulate material (such as silicon dioxide), where the particulate material can be easily removed from the combustion / wet subsystem.

[0028] Thus, an apparatus and method for handling flammable or explosive byproduct gases and preventing particle accumulation in a vacuum foreline of a deposition system is provided. Exhaust gases from a deposition process can be treated with a reactive plasma to facilitate the handling of reactant gases and to facilitate the generation of byproduct particles captured in an exhaust cooling device. Exhaust gases from a subsequent process chamber cleaning process are treated with a clean plasma using a clean gas, such as NF3, to react with byproduct materials in the exhaust cooling device to form non-reactive SiF4, which flows out of the exhaust cooling device and into the exhaust gas stream and toward a vacuum pump and other facility abatement subsystems and exhaust scrubbers.

[0029] The benefits of the various aspects described herein include safer and faster cleaning of the exhaust system. The various aspects described herein can reduce the cleaning time of the abatement components including the vacuum pump and the combustion / wet abatement unit. In addition, the duration between time-consuming and expensive preventive maintenance can be extended, thereby improving tool uptime and reducing maintenance costs.

[0030] While the foregoing is directed to various aspects of the present disclosure, other and further aspects of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof and the scope of the disclosure is determined by the following claims.

Claims

1. An abatement system for a processing chamber, comprising: an exhaust system comprising a vacuum pump coupled to the processing chamber; an exhaust cooling device coupled to an exhaust foreline of the exhaust system between the processing chamber and the vacuum pump; and a remote plasma source located remotely from the exhaust foreline and having a conduit having an outlet for supplying remotely generated plasma directly to the exhaust foreline downstream of the processing chamber and before the exhaust cooling device, and connected to a source of oxygen, a source of cleaning gas, and a source of inert gas, wherein the outlet of the remote plasma source is positioned so as to cause the remotely generated plasma to enter the exhaust foreline adjacent to an inlet connected to an exhaust cooling device of the exhaust foreline, and The cleaning gas source provides a cleaning gas that reacts with particles captured in the exhaust cooling device and cleans the exhaust cooling device.

2. The abatement system of claim 1, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller causes the remote plasma source to further supply gas to the exhaust system.

3. The abatement system of claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas source supplies NF3, NF2H, CHF3, or CF4 to the remote plasma source.

4. The abatement system of claim 1, wherein the outlet of the remote plasma source is fluidly connected to enter the exhaust foreline at a location between 6 inches and 18 inches upstream from the inlet to the exhaust cooling device.

5. The abatement system of claim 1, wherein the remote plasma source is one of: an inductively coupled plasma source, a capacitively coupled plasma source, a direct current plasma source, or a microwave plasma source.

6. A processing system comprising: a processing chamber; an exhaust system comprising a vacuum pump coupled to the processing chamber; an exhaust cooling device coupled to an exhaust foreline of the exhaust system between the processing chamber and the vacuum pump; and a remote plasma source located remotely from the exhaust foreline and having a conduit connecting the remote plasma source to the exhaust foreline and having an outlet for supplying remotely generated plasma directly to the exhaust foreline downstream of the processing chamber and before the exhaust cooling device, the remote plasma source being connected to a source of oxygen, a source of cleaning gas, and a source of inert gas, wherein the outlet of the remote plasma source is positioned so as to cause the remotely generated plasma to enter the exhaust foreline adjacent to an inlet connected to an exhaust cooling device of the exhaust foreline, and The cleaning gas source provides a cleaning gas that reacts with particles captured in the exhaust cooling device and cleans the exhaust cooling device.

7. The processing system of claim 6, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller causes the remote plasma source to further supply gas to the exhaust system.

8. The processing system of claim 6, wherein the cleaning gas source supplies NF3, NF2H, CHF3, or CF4 to the remote plasma source.

9. The processing system of claim 6, wherein the outlet of the remote plasma source is fluidly connected to enter the exhaust foreline at a location between 6 inches and 18 inches upstream from the inlet to the exhaust cooling device.

10. The processing system of claim 6, wherein the remote plasma source is one of: an inductively coupled plasma source, a capacitively coupled plasma source, a direct current plasma source, or a microwave plasma source.

11. A system comprising a controller, wherein the controller comprises a central processing unit and a memory, and the memory further comprises software that when executed by the central processing unit causes the following operations: treating exhaust gases from a deposition process performed in a processing chamber of the system using an oxidizing plasma generated by a remote plasma source having an outlet coupled to an exhaust foreline fluidly connecting the processing chamber to an exhaust cooling device fluidly connected to a vacuum pump, wherein the oxidizing plasma includes an oxidizing gas; and exhaust gases from a cleaning process performed in the processing chamber of the system are treated using a cleaning plasma generated by the remote plasma source, wherein The cleaning plasma includes a cleaning gas provided by a cleaning gas source, and the cleaning gas reacts with particles captured in the exhaust cooling device and cleans the exhaust cooling device, The outlet of the remote plasma source is positioned such that the generated oxidizing plasma and the generated cleaning plasma enter the exhaust foreline adjacent to an inlet of the exhaust cooling device.

12. A method for treating gas in an exhaust system of a processing chamber, the method comprising the steps of: treating exhaust gases from a deposition process performed in the processing chamber using an oxidizing plasma generated from a remote plasma source; Capturing particles in exhaust cooling equipment; and Exhaust gases from a cleaning process performed in the processing chamber are treated with a cleaning plasma generated by a remote plasma source, the cleaning plasma reacting with particles trapped in the exhaust cooling device and cleaning the exhaust cooling device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote plasma source is fluidly coupled to a cleaning gas source that supplies NF3, NF2H, CHF3, or CF4 to the remote plasma source.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote plasma source is fluidly connected to enter the exhaust foreline at a location between 6 inches and 18 inches upstream from a foreline inlet to the exhaust cooling device.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the remote plasma source is fluidly connected to enter the exhaust foreline at a location at least 10 feet from where the exhaust foreline is coupled to a chamber exhaust port.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the deposition process is a TEOS process.

17. The abatement system of claim 1, wherein the inert gas source supplies argon to the remote plasma source.

18. The abatement system of claim 1, wherein the outlet of the remote plasma source is positioned in the exhaust foreline and is positioned at least 10 feet from where the exhaust foreline is coupled to a chamber exhaust.

19. The processing system of claim 6, wherein said inert gas source supplies argon to said remote plasma source.

20. The processing system of claim 6, wherein the outlet of the remote plasma source is positioned in the exhaust foreline and is positioned at least 10 feet from where the exhaust foreline is coupled to a chamber exhaust.

Images