Gas phase removal of SiO2/metals from silicon

摘要

The present invention is a process for thermal, vapor phase removal of silicon oxides and metal-containing contaminants from a surface of a substrate of a type used in manufacturing semiconductor devices comprising contacting the substrate at an elevated temperature at an elevated temperature appropriate to generate and maintain an effective amount of a cleaning reagent to form volatile by-products of the silicon oxides and the metal-containing contaminants and removing the volatile by-products from the surface, wherein the cleaning reagent is a complex of hydrogen fluoride and an oxygen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of one or more of trifluoroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic anhydride, 1,2-propanedione, a beta -diketone and a beta -diketoimine of the formula: