Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Including use of vacuum – suction – or inert atmosphere
Patent
1995-05-15
1996-07-16
Warden, Jill
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Including use of vacuum, suction, or inert atmosphere
134 221, 134 2218, 134 30, 134 37, 34410, 34412, B08B 504, B08B 900
Patent
active
055363300
ABSTRACT:
A method for purging a vacuum chamber suitable for use in the production of integrated circuit structures on semiconductor wafers. The method comprises providing the chamber to be purged and flowing a heated, non-reactive gas, such as argon gas, through the chamber. The non-reactive gas is heated to a temperature of at least 90.degree. C. Further, the chamber is heated to maintain it at a temperature of at least 90.degree. C. while flowing the gas therethrough. Flowing the heated non-reactive gas through the chamber causes released impurities or contaminants to be efficiently swept from the chamber in the non-reactive gas flow. After flowing the heated gas through the heated chamber, the flow of gas is interrupted and the chamber, while still hot, is pumped down to a vacuum of about 5.times.10.sup.-7 to determine whether or not the chamber has a leakage problem. The presence of a leakage problem may be determined by comparing the pumping to past pumping of similar sized chambers, or by measuring the partial pressure of common gases such as nitrogen and/or oxygen. If the partial pressure of oxygen is higher than about 5.times.10.sup.-8 and the partial pressure of nitrogen is higher than 2.times.10.sup.-7, the vacuum chamber can be considered to have a leakage problem. Pumping times may, therefore, be shortened by the use of such screening for leakage problems while the vacuum chamber is still hot.
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Chapman Robert A.
Chen Aihua
Applied Materials Inc.
Chaudhry Saeed
Sherrard Michael
Taylor John P.
Warden Jill
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