US 12,134,822 B2
Cleaning materials and processes for lithium processing equipment
Tapash Chakraborty, Thane (IN); Nitin Deepak, Thane (IN); Prerna Sonthalia Goradia, Mumbai (IN); Bahubali S. Upadhye, Bangalore (IN); Nilesh Chimanrao Bagul, Bangalore (IN); Subramanya P. Herle, Mountain View, CA (US); and Visweswaren Sivaramakrishnan, Cupertino, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/529,463.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/116,431, filed on Nov. 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0162747 A1, May 26, 2022
Int. Cl. C23C 16/44 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 16/4405 (2013.01) [C23C 16/4407 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of removing lithium-containing deposits, the method comprising:
heating a surface of a lithium-containing deposit, wherein the surface comprises oxygen or nitrogen, and wherein the lithium-containing deposit is disposed on a surface of a processing chamber;
contacting the surface of the lithium-containing deposit with a hydrogen-containing precursor, wherein the contacting hydrogenates the surface of the lithium-containing deposit;
contacting the lithium-containing deposit with a nitrogen-containing precursor to form volatile byproducts; and
exhausting the volatile byproducts of the lithium-containing deposit from the processing chamber.
 
10. A method of removing lithium-containing deposits, the method comprising:
heating a surface of a lithium-containing deposit, wherein the surface comprises lithium oxide, wherein a bulk of the lithium-containing deposit comprises lithium, and wherein the lithium-containing deposit is disposed on a surface of a processing chamber;
contacting the surface of the lithium-containing deposit with diatomic hydrogen or ammonia, wherein the contacting produces lithium hydroxide on the surface of the lithium-containing deposit;
contacting the lithium-containing deposit with a removal precursor to form volatile byproducts, wherein a temperature within the processing chamber is maintained below or about 300° C. at processing conditions; and
exhausting the volatile byproducts of the lithium-containing deposit from the processing chamber.