E-PVD Vacuum chamber cleaning maintenance and Care

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the maintenance and cleaning procedures for e-PVD vacuum chambers, specifically focusing on the removal of thin-film metal coatings that accumulate on hardware parts during deposition processes. Participants explore various cleaning methods and materials suitable for this task.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about effective cleaning procedures for thin-film metal coatings on hardware parts, suggesting the use of clean room grade vacuum cleaners and questioning the efficacy of high power laser cleaning.
  • Another participant asks about the manufacturer's documentation regarding maintenance and cleaning procedures, implying that such information may be crucial for proper care.
  • A different participant notes that the manufacturer's documentation does not specify cleaning materials but only provides a schedule for maintenance, suggesting that the variability in deposited materials might be a reason for the lack of specific guidance.
  • One participant proposes contacting the supplier of the deposited metals for potential cleaning recommendations, indicating that they may have relevant experience and insights.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the availability of cleaning guidance from manufacturers, with some agreeing that documentation lacks specific cleaning instructions while others suggest alternative sources for advice. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best cleaning methods.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the absence of specific cleaning recommendations from manufacturers and the potential variability in materials deposited in the chambers, which may affect cleaning approaches.

lamejane
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Hello PVD experts out there !

I have question on general e-PVD Vacuum chamber cleaning maintenance and Care

as shown in the pictures below, Thin film material (mostly Metals) is being deposited on a daily basis onto the hardware parts present in our e-PVD vacuum chamber ( such as the quartz crystal shutter, crystal container, Crucible revolver etc.)

pp.jpg


We use a clean room grade vacuum cleaner to clean out the delaminated film from the chamber walls after each deposition process but not all the metal is removed since they adhere quite strongly onto the copper and stainless steel surfaces.

Question to the experts here:

What procedures are normally used to clean the thin-film Metal coating on the hardware parts? Is there a special scotch brite like scrubber (clean room grade) for such purposes?. Would a High power Laser cleaning such as in the link below help?

https://www.cleanlaser.de/wEnglish/produkte/high-power-cl-1000.php

Covering the hardware parts with Al foil is not an option because of possible Al contamination on the wafers being deposited.

Looking forward to your expertise : ).
Thank you .
 

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What does the manufacturer's documentation say about periodic maintenance and cleaning? That must be in their user documentation for that equipment, no?
 
Not really, they don't really suggest what to use in order to clean but only give a time period of when to perform a cleaning and maintainence
 
lamejane said:
Not really, they don't really suggest what to use in order to clean but only give a time period of when to perform a cleaning and maintainence
Hmm, maybe they don't give guidance because they don't control what materials you deposit on the target in the chambers. Maybe try contacting the supplier of the metals that you are depositing. They may have experience and suggestions on the best ways to clean up the interior of the chamber after depositing their metals.
 
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