Method for cleaning a reactor using electron attachment

Abstract

A method for cleaning, and/or enhancing the cleaning of, a reactor is disclosed herein. In one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: providing the reactor wherein a surface of the reactor is coated with a substance; providing a first and second electrode in close proximity to the reactor wherein the first and second electrode reside within a target area; passing a gas mixture comprising a reactive gas into the target area; supplying energy to at least one of the first or the second electrodes to generate electrons within the target area wherein at least a portion of the electrons attach to at least a portion of the reactive gas thereby forming a negatively charged cleaning gas; contacting the substance with the negatively charged cleaning gas wherein the negatively charged cleaning gas reacts with the substance and forms a volatile product; and removing the volatile product from the reactor.

1 . A method for removing a substance from a reactor, the method comprising: 
 providing the reactor wherein at least a portion of a surface of the reactor is coated with the substance;    providing a first and a second electrode that is in close proximity to the reactor wherein the first and the second electrode resides within a target area;    passing a gas mixture comprising a reactive gas into the target area wherein the reactive gas has an electron affinity greater than 0;    supplying energy to at least one of the first or the second electrodes to generate electrons within the target area wherein at least a portion of the electrons attach to at least a portion of the reactive gas thereby forming a negatively charged cleaning gas;    contacting the substance with the negatively charged cleaning gas wherein the negatively charged cleaning gas reacts with the substance and forms at least one volatile product; and    removing the at least one volatile product from the reactor.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reactive gas comprises a halogen.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the reactive gas is at least one member selected from NF 3 , ClF 3 , ClF, SF 6 , a perfluorocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, an oxyfluorocarbon, a hypofluorite, a fluoroperoxide, a fluorotrioxide, COF 2 , NOF, F 2 , a compound having the formula NF n Cl 3-n , wherein n is a number ranging from 1 to 2, BCl 3 , Cl 2 , and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the reactive gas is NF 3 .  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the gas mixture comprises reactive species that were activated within a remote chamber.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the gas mixture further comprises an inert diluent gas.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the inert diluent gas comprises at least one selected from nitrogen, helium, argon, neon, xenon, krypton, radon, and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the inert diluent gas has an electron affinity that is less than the electron affinity of the reactive gas.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the energy in the supplying step is at least one source selected from the group consisting of an electric energy source, an electromagnetic energy source, a thermal energy source, an electric energy source, a photo energy source, or combinations thereof.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the energy is an electric energy source.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first electrode is grounded.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second electrode is grounded.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target area resides within the reactor.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target area is outside of the reactor.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the electrons are generated in the supplying step by at least one method selected from the group consisting of cathode emission, gas discharge, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the electrons are generated by a cathode emission method selected from the group consisting of field emission, thermal emission, thermal-field emission, photoemission, and electron beam emission.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the substance is at least one selected from a W, Ti, SiO 2 , TiO 2 , SiON, poly-silicon, amorphous silicon, SiN, WN, Al 2 O 3 , HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , HfSiO 4 , and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       18 . A method of removing a substance from at least a portion of a surface of a reactor, the method comprising: 
 providing the reactor comprising at least one electrode and the surface wherein at least a portion of the surface is grounded;    introducing a gas mixture comprising a reactive gas and optionally an inert diluent gas into the reactor;    supplying voltage to the at least one electrode and/or the surface to generate electrons wherein at least a portion of the electrons attach to at least a portion of the reactive gas thereby forming a negatively charged cleaning gas;    contacting the substance with the negatively charged cleaning gas wherein the negatively charged cleaning gas reacts with the substance and forms at least one volatile product; and    removing the at least one volatile product from the reactor.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the gas mixture further comprises reactive species.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the reactive gas is at least one member selected from NF 3 , ClF 3 , ClF, SF 6 , a perfluorocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, an oxyfluorocarbon, a hypofluorite, a fluoroperoxide, a fluorotrioxide, COF 2 , NOF, F 2 , a compound having the formula NF n Cl 3-n , wherein n is a number ranging from 1 to 2, BCl 3 , Cl 2 , and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the reactive gas is NF 3 .  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the substance is at least one selected from SiO 2 , TiO 2 , SiON, W, poly-silicon, amorphous silicon, SiN, WN, Al 2 O 3 , HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , HfSiO 4 , HfSiO 4 , and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the voltage ranges from 0.01 to 50 kV.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the voltage ranges from 0.1 to 30 kV.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the voltage is pulsed.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the gas mixture is at a pressure ranging from 1 Torr to 20 psia.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the gas mixture comprises the inert diluent gas.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the amount of inert diluent gas ranges from 1 to 99% by volume.  
   
   
       29 . A method of removing a substance from at least a portion of a surface of a reactor, the method comprising: 
 providing a reactive gas into a remote chamber that is outside of the reactor,    activating the reactive gas in the remote chamber to form reactive species;    providing the reactor comprising at least one electrode and the surface wherein at least a portion of the surface is grounded;    introducing a gas mixture comprising a reactive gas, reactive species, and optionally an inert diluent gas into the reactor;    supplying voltage to the at least one electrode and/or the surface to generate electrons wherein at least a portion of the electrons attach to at least a portion of the reactive gas thereby forming a negatively charged cleaning gas;    contacting the substance with the negatively charged cleaning gas wherein the negatively charged cleaning gas reacts with the substance and forms at least one volatile product; and    removing the at least one volatile product from the reactor.    
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the activating step is conducted using power that ranges from 100 to 14,000 Watts.