Low pressure chemical vapor deposition furnace plasma clean apparatus

摘要

Cleaning of low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) furnaces is accomplished "in-situ" at furnace operating temperatures. Radio frequency (RF) power is coupled into reactive gases, that have been metered into the evacuated furnace tube, using the furnace heating coil as the coupling element so as to create an etchant gas plasma. The gas chemistry and plasma conditions are selected to remove the LPCVD film that has accumulated on the furnace quartzware surfaces during its use in the LPCVD film deposition mode. The volatile chemical byproducts of the plasma clean reaction are removed from the furnace tube by the system's vacuum pump.