PLASMA ABATEMENT OF COMPOUNDS CONTAINING HEAVY ATOMS

摘要

A plasma abatement process for abating effluent containing compounds from a processing chamber is described. A plasma abatement process takes gaseous foreline effluent from a processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, and reacts the effluent within a plasma chamber placed in the foreline path. The plasma dissociates the compounds within the effluent, converting the effluent into more benign compounds. Abating reagents may assist in the abating of the compounds. The abatement process may be a volatizing or a condensing abatement process. Representative volatilizing abating reagents include, for example, CH4, H2O, H2, NF3, SF6, F2, HCl, HF, Cl2, and HBr. Representative condensing abating reagents include, for example, H2, H2O, O2, N2, O3, CO, CO2, NH3, N2O, CH4, and combinations thereof.

主权项

1. A method of abating effluent from a processing chamber, the method comprising:
flowing an effluent from a processing chamber into a plasma source, wherein the effluent comprises at least one material to be abated; flowing an abating reagent into the plasma source; and reacting the material in the effluent with the abating reagent in the presence of a plasma formed in the plasma source to convert the material in the effluent to a different material.