ENHANCED PASSIVATION PROCESS TO PROTECT SILICON PRIOR TO HIGH DOSE IMPLANT STRIP

摘要

There is provided an improved method and apparatus for stripping photoresist and removing ion implantation-related residues from the surface of a workpiece. According to various embodiments, the workpiece is exposed to a passivation plasma, cooled for a period of time, and then exposed to an oxygen-based plasma or a hydrogen-based plasma to remove photoresist and ion implantation-related residues. Aspects of the present invention include reducing the silicon loss rate, leaving little or no residue while maintaining acceptable release rates. In certain embodiments, the method and apparatus remove the photoresist material after a high dose ion implantation process.;