Reducing particulate contamination during semiconductor device processing

摘要

Contaminant particles in a vacuum plasma processing chamber can be removed from the surface of a substrate in the chamber by first reducing the pressure in the chamber so as to elevate the particles above any obstruction about the substrate, including a clamping ring and the like, maintaining a plasma from a gas fed to the chamber so that the particles are in the plasma, and then increasing the gas flow to the chamber so as to sweep the particles out of the chamber through the exhaust system of the processing chamber while maintaining a plasma in the chamber.