Current semiconductor production typically requires periodic process chamber conditioning to remove contaminants, ensure uniformity and prevent process drift. Conventional chamber conditioning processes are typically performed at high temperatures, for example temperatures greater than about 1000 degrees Celsius. However, current semiconductor fabrication processes are performed at temperatures significantly lower than that of the conditioning process temperatures. As a result of that disparity, the temperature of the process chamber must be continuously increased and decreased, making the conditioning process slow and inefficient. In addition, the repetitive cycling of the process chamber heating elements necessary to achieve the different temperatures reduces the useful life of the process chamber heating elements.
Therefore, the inventors have provided improved methods for low temperature conditioning of interior surfaces of process chambers.
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