Abstract: A substrate cleaning method includes injecting a cluster generating gas from a cluster nozzle into a processing chamber, generating gas clusters by adiabatically expanding the cluster generating gas, and removing particles adhered to a target substrate in the processing chamber by irradiating the gas clusters onto the target substrate. The cluster generating gas is selected based on a product ? of energy K per molecule or atom of the cluster generating gas that is expressed by the following equation (1) and an index C indicating the ease with which the gas forms clusters that is expressed by the following equation (2), K=1/2mv2=?/??1kBT0 . . . (1) C=(Tb/T0)?/??1 . . . (2) where kB: a Boltzmann constant, ?: a specific heat ratio of the cluster generating gas, m: a mass of the cluster generating gas, v: a speed of the cluster generating gas, T0: a gas supply temperature, Tb: a boiling point of the cluster generating gas.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus has a chamber (1), a stage (4) for holding a substrate (W) to be processed in the chamber (1), and a nozzle part (13) from which a gas cluster is blasted onto the substrate (W) to be processed, and has a function for processing the substrate (W) to be processed by the gas cluster. Cleaning of the inside of the chamber (1) is performed by: placing a prescribed reflecting member (dW, 60) in the chamber (1), blasting a gas cluster (C) onto the reflecting member (dW, 60), and applying the gas-cluster flow reflected by the reflecting member (dW, 60) onto a wall section of the chamber (1) to remove particles (P) adhered to the wall section of the chamber (1).

Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate cleaning method. In this substrate cleaning method, a step (step 10) is performed wherein a removal target film and located above a processing target film is patterned; after step 10, a step (step 11) is performed wherein the patterned removal target film is used as an etching mask to perform anisotropic etching on the processing target film; after step 11, a step (step 12) is performed wherein the remaining removal target film on the processing target film is subjected to gas chemical etching; and after step 12, a step (step 14) is performed wherein a target substrate, which includes the surface of the processing target film, is irradiated with gas clusters, thereby cleaning the surface of the processing target film by removing non-reactive or non-volatile residues remaining on the surface of the processing target film.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus that cleans a processing target substrate by blasting the gas clusters to the processing target substrate. The apparatus includes: a chamber configured to accommodate the processing target substrate; a rotary stage configured to rotatably support the processing target substrate in the chamber; an blasting unit configured to blast the gas clusters to the processing target substrate supported by the rotary stage; a driving unit configured to scan a gas cluster-blasted position on the processing target substrate; an exhaust port configured to evacuate the chamber; and a control mechanism configured to control a scattering direction of particles by controlling a rotation direction of the processing target substrate by the rotary stage and a scanning direction of the gas cluster-blasted position, thereby suppressing re-adhesion of the particles to the processing target substrate.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus for removing particles adhered to a substrate includes a cleaning chamber for cleaning a substrate under a vacuum atmosphere, a mounting unit, provided in the cleaning chamber, for mounting the substrate thereon. The substrate cleaning apparatus further includes a nozzle unit for injecting a cleaning gas from an area of a higher pressure than an atmosphere in which the substrate is mounted toward the substrate in the cleaning chamber, generating a gas cluster as an aggregate of atoms or molecules of the cleaning gas by adiabatic expansion and irradiating the gas cluster to the substrate in a direction perpendicular thereto, a gas exhaust port for evacuating the cleaning chamber, and a moving unit for relatively moving the mounting unit and the nozzle unit.

Abstract: A substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments includes bringing removal solution obtained by mixing a nitric acid, a strong acid stronger than the nitric acid, and water into contact with a substrate in which a boron monofilm is formed on a film including a silicon-based film so as to remove the boron monofilm from the substrate.

Abstract: In order to remove a deposit adhered to the backside of the peripheral portion of a wafer, a cleaning gas containing carbon dioxide gas is set to a pressure that is slightly lower than the pressure corresponding to a vapor pressure line of carbon dioxide at a temperature in the nozzle, and a gas cluster of carbon dioxide is generated. A gas cluster of carbon dioxide generated under such a condition is in a state immediately prior to undergoing a phase change to a liquid and therefore is a gas cluster having a large cluster diameter and having molecules that are firmly solidified.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning method for removing particles adhered to a substrate includes: acquiring particle information including diameters of the particles adhered to the substrate; controlling, based on the acquired particle information, a factor related to sizes of gas clusters having aggregates of atoms or molecules of a cleaning gas; ejecting the cleaning gas, at a higher pressure than a processing atmosphere where the substrate is provided, to the processing atmosphere and generating the gas clusters by adiabatic expansion; and removing the particles by irradiating the gas clusters in a perpendicular direction to a surface of the substrate. As a result, even if recesses for a circuit pattern are formed on the surface of the substrate, the particles in the recesses can be removed at a high removal rate.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for removing metal contamination present on an inner wall of a fluorine-based resin used in a chemical liquid supply line that supplies a chemical liquid to a workpiece. The method includes bringing some or all of a cleaning material reactive to a metal forming the metal contamination into a gaseous state; supplying the gaseous cleaning material to the chemical liquid supply line; and removing the metal contamination by reacting the gaseous cleaning material with the metal contamination present on the inner wall of the fluorine-based resin used in the chemical liquid supply line.

Abstract: Disclosed is a processing apparatus for performing a processing on a workpiece using gas clusters. The processing apparatus includes: a processing container in which the workpiece is disposed, and an inside of which is maintained in a vacuum state; an exhaust mechanism that exhausts an atmosphere in the processing container; a gas supply unit that supplies a gas containing a cluster generating gas; a cluster nozzle provided in the processing container and configured to generate gas clusters by adiabatically expanding the cluster generating gas and inject a gas component containing the generated gas clusters into the processing container; and a plasma generating mechanism that generates plasma in the cluster nozzle portion. The gas clusters are ionized by the plasma generated in the cluster nozzle portion, and the ionized gas clusters are injected from the cluster nozzle and irradiated onto the workpiece, so that a predetermined processing is performed.

Abstract: Deposits such as particles deposited on a surface of a target object can be easily removed while suppressing damage to the target object such as destruction of pattern formed on the surface of the target object or film roughness on the surface of the target object. In a pre-treatment, vapor of a hydrogen fluoride is supplied to a wafer W to dissolve a natural oxide film 11, so that a deposit 10 attached to a surface of the natural oxide film 11 is slightly separated from a surface of the wafer W. A carbon dioxide gas that does not react with an underlying film 12 is supplied to a processing gas atmosphere where the wafer W is placed, so that a gas cluster of the carbon dioxide gas is generated. Then, the gas cluster in a non-ionized state is irradiated toward the wafer W to remove the deposit 10.

Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate cleaning method. In this substrate cleaning method, a step (step 10) is performed wherein a removal target film and located above a processing target film is patterned; after step 10, a step (step 11) is performed wherein the patterned removal target film is used as an etching mask to perform anisotropic etching on the processing target film; after step 11, a step (step 12) is performed wherein the remaining removal target film on the processing target film is subjected to gas chemical etching; and after step 12, a step (step 14) is performed wherein a target substrate, which includes the surface of the processing target film, is irradiated with gas clusters, thereby cleaning the surface of the processing target film by removing non-reactive or non-volatile residues remaining on the surface of the processing target film.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of performing a liquid processing on a workpiece by a liquid containing charged minute metal-containing impurities, using a liquid processing apparatus including: a holding unit configured to hold the workpiece; and a liquid supplying mechanism configured to supply a liquid to the workpiece held by the holding unit. The method includes: removing the metal-containing impurities contained in the liquid while supplying the liquid to the workpiece held by the holding unit; and/or controlling charging of the workpiece held by the holding unit to suppress the metal-containing impurities from being attached to the workpiece by an electrostatic force.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for removing metal contamination present on an inner wall of a fluorine-based resin used in a chemical liquid supply line that supplies a chemical liquid to a workpiece. The method includes bringing some or all of a cleaning material reactive to a metal forming the metal contamination into a gaseous state; supplying the gaseous cleaning material to the chemical liquid supply line; and removing the metal contamination by reacting the gaseous cleaning material with the metal contamination present on the inner wall of the fluorine-based resin used in the chemical liquid supply line.

Abstract: In a tantalum oxide film removal method and apparatus, a silicon substrate having a tantalum oxide film is supported on a spin chuck. A mixed aqueous solution including hydrofluoric acid and organic acid is supplied to the silicon substrate while rotating the silicon substrate together with the spin chuck. The mixed aqueous solution comes into contact with the tantalum oxide film existing on the silicon substrate to remove the tantalum oxide film by the chemical reaction therebetween.

Abstract: In a titanium oxide film removal method and apparatus, a silicon substrate having the titanium oxide film is supported on a spin chuck. A first mixed aqueous solution including hydrofluoric acid and non-oxidizing acid or a second mixed aqueous solution including hydrofluoric acid and organic acid is supplied to the silicon substrate while rotating the silicon substrate together with the spin chuk. The first or the second aqueous solution comes into contact with the titanium oxide film existing on the silicon substrate to remove the titanium oxide film by a reaction between the first or the second mixed aqueous solution and the titanium oxide film.

Abstract: In a substrate cleaning method for cleaning a substrate, the substrate is arranged in a process chamber and exhausting an interior of the process chamber to keep the interior of the process chamber at a vacuum state, and a gas cluster including an electrically charged gas cluster is irradiated toward the substrate in the process chamber. Then, the electrically charged gas cluster is accelerated before the electrically charged gas cluster reaches the substrate, and particles on the substrate are removed by collision of the gas cluster including the accelerated electrically charged gas cluster with the substrate. The substrate and the particles which are electrically charged after the collision are neutralized, and the removed and neutralized particles are discharging from the process chamber along with an exhaust flow.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus includes a supporting unit, provided in a processing chamber having a gas exhaust port, for supporting a substrate; one or more nozzle units, each for ejecting gas clusters to a peripheral portion of the substrate supported by the supporting unit to remove unnecessary substances from the peripheral portion; and a moving mechanism for changing relative positions of the supporting unit and the nozzle unit during ejecting the gas clusters. Each nozzle unit discharges a cleaning gas having a pressure higher than that in the processing chamber so that the cleaning gas is adiabatically expanded to form aggregates of atoms and/or molecules.

Abstract: In order to remove a deposit adhered to the backside of the peripheral portion of a wafer, a cleaning gas containing carbon dioxide gas is set to a pressure that is slightly lower than the pressure corresponding to a vapor pressure line of carbon dioxide at a temperature in the nozzle, and a gas cluster of carbon dioxide is generated. A gas cluster of carbon dioxide generated under such a condition is in a state immediately prior to undergoing a phase change to a liquid and therefore is a gas cluster having a large cluster diameter and having molecules that are firmly solidified.

Abstract: A graphene machining method includes irradiating a GCB (Gas Cluster Beam) onto graphene.