In-situ chamber cleaning for an rtp chamber

Abstract

A method of cleaning a chamber used for annealing doped wafer substrates. In one embodiment the method provides removing dopants deposited in an annealing chamber after an annealing process of a doped substrate by flowing one or more volatilizing gases into the annealing chamber, applying heat to volatilize the deposited dopants in the annealing chamber, and exhausting the chamber to remove volatilized dopants from the annealing chamber.

1 . A method of removing impurities deposited in an annealing chamber after an annealing process of a substrate, comprising:
 flowing one or more volatilizing gases into the annealing chamber;   applying heat to volatilize the deposited impurities in the annealing chamber; and   exhausting the chamber to remove volatilized impurities from the annealing chamber.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising flowing a purging gas into the annealing chamber. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the impurities deposited comprise one or more dopants selected from the group consisting of boron, aluminum, gallium, beryllium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium, and tellurium. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more volatilizing gases are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, ozone, nitrous oxide, fluorine, chlorine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, silane, disilane, ammonia, phosphine, hydrazine, diborane, triethylborane, hydrogen, atomic hydrogen, plasmas thereof, radicals thereof, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more dopants comprise phosphorus. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more volatilizing gases comprise oxygen. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more volatilizing gases flow in a continuous manner to volatilize the deposited dopants. 
   
   
       8 . A method of removing impurities deposited in an annealing chamber, comprising:
 introducing doped substrates into the annealing chamber;   performing an annealing process of the doped substrates in the annealing chamber, wherein the annealing process results in impurities being deposited in the annealing chamber;   removing the doped substrates from the annealing chamber; and   flowing one or more volatilizing gases into the annealing chamber and applying heat to volatilize the impurities deposited in the annealing chamber.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising exhausting the chamber to remove volatilized impurities from the annealing chamber. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising flowing a purging gas into the annealing chamber. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the impurities deposited comprise one or more dopants selected from the group consisting of boron, aluminum, gallium, beryllium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, selenium, and tellurium. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more volatilizing gases are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, ozone, nitrous oxide, fluorine, chlorine, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, silane, disilane, ammonia, phosphine, hydrazine, diborane, triethylborane, hydrogen, atomic hydrogen, plasmas thereof, radicals thereof, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more dopants comprise phosphorus. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more volatilizing gases comprise oxygen. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more volatilizing gases flow in a continuous manner to volatilize the deposited dopants. 
   
   
       16 . A method of removing impurities deposited in an annealing chamber, comprising:
 introducing phosphorus doped substrates into the annealing chamber;   performing an annealing process of the phosphorus doped substrates in the annealing chamber, wherein the annealing process results in phosphorus dopant being deposited in the annealing chamber;   removing the phosphorus doped substrates from the annealing chamber;   flowing oxygen into the annealing chamber and applying heat to volatilize the deposited phosphorus dopant in the annealing chamber;   exhausting the chamber to remove volatilized phosphorus dopant from the annealing chamber; and   flowing an inert gas into the annealing chamber to remove oxygen from the annealing chamber.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the oxygen flow in a continuous manner to volatilize the deposited phosphorus dopant. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the annealing process is performed on between about 10 phosphorus doped substrates and about 50 phosphorus doped substrates before oxygen is flowed into the annealing chamber. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the annealing process is performed on about 25 phosphorus doped substrates before oxygen flows into the annealing chamber. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the chamber is exposed to the oxygen for between about 1 minute and 10 minutes.