A multistep chamber cleaning process using a remote plasma that also enhances film gap fill

摘要

An improved method of forming a dielectric layer over a substrate disposed in a substrate processing chamber and cleaning deposition material off the chamber's interior wall and surfaces. The method breaks an in-situ chamber cleaning operation that is commonly performed after film deposition into two separate steps. The first step is done after a portion of the dielectric layer is deposited over the substrate. The second step then completes the in-situ chamber cleaning operation and is performed after deposition of the dielectric layer is completed. Both the first and second steps of the cleaning operation flow remotely dissociated fluorine atoms into the chamber to etch away material deposited on the chamber walls. The first step of the chamber cleaning process has the added benefit of incorporating small amounts of fluorine into the dielectric layer being deposited and isotropically etching the layer to improve the layer's gap-fill capability.