Oxygen free plasma stripping process

This invention relates generally to a plasma stripping process. More particularly, this invention relates to an oxygen free plasma process for removing photoresist and/or etch residues from low k dielectric surfaces or in the presence of low k dielectric materials during integrated circuit manufacturing. The gas for generating the oxygen free plasma comprises a mixture of a hydrogen bearing gas and a fluorine bearing gas. A method for stripping photoresist and/or removing post etch residues from an exposed low k dielectric layer of a semiconductor wafer in the presence or absence of copper. The method comprises creating an oxygen free plasma by subjecting an oxygen free gas to an energy source to generate the plasma having electrically neutral and charged particles. The charged particles are then selectively removed from the plasma. The electrically neutral particles react with the photoresist and/or post etch residues to form volatile gases which are then removed from the wafer by a gas stream. The oxygen free, plasma gas composition for stripping photoresist and/or post etch residues comprises a hydrogen bearing gas and a fluorine bearing wherein the fluorine bearing gas is less than about 10 percent by volume of the total gas composition.