Abstract: Using the first robot, the carrier standing by in the load lock chamber is deposited into the reaction chamber without mounting the wafer before processing, and cleaning gas is supplied while the reaction chamber is maintained at a predetermined cleaning temperature, and the carrier that has been cleaned in the reaction chamber is transferred to the load lock chamber using the first robot. The carrier and susceptor are cleaned at a predetermined frequency. After that, the carrier is carried out from the reaction chamber, and the reaction gas is supplied to the reaction chamber to form a polysilicon film on the surface of the susceptor.

Abstract: Using the first robot, the carrier standing by in the load lock chamber is deposited into the reaction chamber without mounting the wafer before processing, and cleaning gas is supplied while the reaction chamber is maintained at a predetermined cleaning temperature, and the carrier that has been cleaned in the reaction chamber is transferred to the load lock chamber using the first robot. The carrier is cleaned at a predetermined frequency.

Abstract: A double-side polishing method for a work includes: a pre-polishing index calculation step of calculating an index Xp for a work having been subjected to double-side polishing in the last batch; a target polishing time calculation step of calculating a target polishing time of the current batch using a predetermined prediction formula; and a double-side polishing step of performing double-side polishing of a work using the target polishing time. A double-side polishing apparatus for a work includes: a measurement unit for measuring thicknesses of a work having been subjected to double-side polishing in the last batch; a first calculation unit calculating an index Xp; a second calculation unit calculating a target polishing time Tt of the current batch using a predetermined prediction formula; and a control unit controlling double-side polishing of the work using the calculated target polishing time Tt.

Abstract: Provided is an evaluation method capable of easily evaluating the inner circumference of a quartz crucible in a short time. The method of evaluating an inner circumference of a quartz crucible includes: a first step of imaging the inner circumference of the quartz crucible, thereby obtaining an image of the inner circumference; a second step of performing image processing on the image to obtain an edge image in which boundaries between cristobalite and glass are defined; a third step of extracting closed regions; a fourth step of performing arithmetic calculations on coordinate information of the boundaries, thereby obtaining calculated values; a fifth step of determining whether the closed regions are the cristobalite or the glass based on the calculated values; and a sixth step of compositing images in which closed regions are determined to be the cristobalite are overlaid, thereby obtaining a full image.

Abstract: A production method of monocrystalline silicon includes: measuring an emissivity of an inner wall surface of a top chamber; and determining a target resistivity of monocrystalline silicon based on the emissivity measured in the measuring, thereby producing the monocrystalline silicon. In determining the target emissivity on a crystal center axis at a position for starting formation of a straight body of the monocrystalline silicon in the producing, when the emissivity is 0.4 or less, the target resistivity is determined to be less than a resistivity value of 3.0 m?·cm when the dopant is arsenic.

Abstract: A polishing head includes a first ring-shaped member having an opening; a plate-shaped member that closes the opening on an upper side of the first ring-shaped member; a membrane that closes the opening on a lower side of the first ring-shaped member; a back pad adhered to a lower surface of the membrane; and a second ring-shaped member located below the back pad and having an opening that holds a polishing target workpiece. A space formed by closing the opening of the first ring-shaped member by the plate-shaped member and the membrane includes: a central region; and an outer peripheral region partitioned from the central region by a partition, and an inner peripheral edge region of the second ring-shaped member is located vertically below an outer peripheral edge of the outer peripheral region. A polishing apparatus includes the polishing head, and is used in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer having enhanced gettering ability. The method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer includes: a first step of irradiating a surface of a semiconductor wafer with cluster ions containing carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen as constituent elements to form a modified layer that is located in a surface portion of the semiconductor wafer and contains the constituent elements of the cluster ions as a solid solution; and a second step of forming an epitaxial layer on the modified layer of the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: Provided is a method for pulling up and growing, by the Czochralski method, a silicon monocrystal from a melt obtained by fusing a silicon raw material for crystals within a quartz crucible. When the inner wall of the quartz crucible is made of a synthetic quartz layer, a gel-like liquid including a devitrification accelerator, a thickening agent, and a solvent is applied to the bottom surface of the quartz crucible inner wall or to both the bottom surface and the lateral surface thereof prior to filling the silicon raw material for crystals into the quartz crucible, whereas when the inner wall of the quartz crucible is made of a natural quartz layer, the gel-like liquid is applied to both the bottom surface and the lateral surface of the inner wall of the quartz crucible prior to filling the silicon raw material for crystals into the quartz crucible.

Abstract: Provided is a method of determination of pretreatment conditions of a heat treatment furnace, wherein the pretreatment is heating a furnace interior of the heat treatment furnace while supplying a gas thereinto, the method including setting a plurality of candidates of a combination of a type of a supply gas and a heating temperature; assigning to each candidate of the combination a score determined according to a type of a target metal identified as an object to be removed in the pretreatment; and determining, from the plurality of candidates, the combination of the type of the supply gas and the heating temperature to be adopted as the pretreatment conditions, with the assigned score serving as an indicator.

Abstract: A device for cleaning the inside of a monocrystalline pulling apparatus includes a main tube unit to be inserted into a pull chamber and an inner surface cleaning mechanism that is provided at an upper part of the main tube unit and cleans the inner surface of the pull chamber. The main tube unit includes a retreat/housing section into which a seed chuck provided at the lower end of a wire retreats and which houses the seed chuck therein, and a continuous extension mechanism that is provided at the lower part of the main tube unit and to which a plurality of extension rods are capable of being added and joined. Accordingly, the inner surface of the pull chamber is efficiently cleaned.

Abstract: A wafer transfer device includes a transport unit and a placement unit for placing a silicon wafer transferred by the transport unit onto a susceptor. The placement unit includes a plurality of lift pins and a relative movement mechanism for relatively moving the plurality of lift pins and the susceptor. At least one of the transport unit or the placement unit is configured to bring a predetermined lift pin into the first contact with a lower side of the silicon wafer when the silicon wafer is supported by the plurality of lift pins.

Abstract: A vapor deposition apparatus includes a disc-shaped susceptor and a susceptor support member that supports and rotates the susceptor. The susceptor has a plurality of fitting grooves. The susceptor support member is provided with a plurality of support pins to be fitted in the respective plurality of fitting grooves. The fitting grooves each have an inclined portion that relatively moves the support pin with respect to the fitting groove in a circumferential direction of the susceptor with the support pin kept in contact by virtue of a self-weight of the susceptor and a positioning portion that positions the support pin relatively moved by the inclined portion at a specific position in the circumferential direction. The inclined portion and the positioning portion are formed continuously in a radial direction of the susceptor.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a wafer with a notch includes: polishing principal surfaces of the wafer; mirror-polishing a notch chamfered portion of the notch; mirror-polishing an outer-periphery chamfered portion of an outer peripheral portion of the wafer; and finish-polishing one of principal surfaces of the wafer, the finish-polishing being performed after performing the mirror-polishing of the notch chamfered portion, the polishing of the principal surfaces, and the mirror-polishing of the outer-periphery chamfered portion in this order.

Abstract: Provided is an evaluation method of a semiconductor wafer having a polished surface, the method including a cleaning process of cleaning the semiconductor wafer with one or more kinds of cleaning liquid, measuring an LPD of the polished surface both before and after the cleaning process with a laser surface inspection device, and distinguishing the type of defect or foreign substance measured as the LPD, based on measurement results obtained in the measuring, according to distinguishing standards shown in Table A.

Abstract: A method of reducing warp imparted to a silicon wafer having a (110) plane orientation and a <111> notch orientation by anisotropic film stress of a multilayer film that is to be formed on a surface of the silicon wafer, that includes forming the multilayer film on a surface of the silicon wafer in an orientation so that a direction in which the warp of the wafer will be greatest coincides with a direction in which Young's modulus of a crystal orientation of the silicon wafer is greatest. Also, a method of reducing warp imparted to a silicon wafer having a (111) plane orientation by isotropic film stress of a multilayer film to be formed on a surface of the silicon wafer, that includes, prior to forming the multilayer film, causing the silicon wafer to have an oxygen concentration of 8.0×1017 atoms/cm3 or more (ASTM F-121, 1979).

Abstract: Provided is a susceptor, capable of preventing occurrence of scratches on the back surface of a wafer attributable to lift pins, and reducing unevenness of the in-surface temperature distribution of the wafer. A susceptor according to one embodiment of this disclosure has a susceptor main body and a plate-shaped member, and when a wafer is conveyed, the front surface of the plate-shaped member ascended by lift pins supports the central part of the back surface of the wafer by surface contact. A separation space between the plate-shaped member and the susceptor main body, in a state in which the plate-shaped member is placed on the recessed part, enters further into the central side of the plate-shaped member, in a direction from the front surface to the back surface of the susceptor.

Abstract: A silicon rod crushing method relatively moves an application position of high-voltage pulse discharge to a silicon rod in a longitudinal direction thereof while rotating the silicon rod to thereby crush the silicon rod.

Abstract: A vapor deposition device is provided that can perform CVD processing without using a carrier. A first robot is provided with a first blade at a tip, the first blade includes a first recess which supports the carrier and a second recess which supports the wafer. A load-lock chamber is provided with a holder which can support the carrier and the wafer.

Abstract: A method of controlling a convection pattern of a silicon melt includes applying a horizontal magnetic field having an intensity of 0.2 tesla or more to the silicon melt in a rotating quartz crucible to fix a direction of a convection flow in a plane orthogonal to an application direction of the horizontal magnetic field in the silicon melt, the horizontal magnetic field being applied so that a central magnetic field line passes through a point horizontally offset from a center axis of the quartz crucible by 10 mm or more.

Abstract: Provided is a lift pin for an epitaxial growth apparatus, which can prevent the back surface of a silicon wafer from being damaged by the lift pin, reduce emission of dust due to the rubbing of the lift pin against the wall surface of a through hole in a susceptor, and prevent peeling of glassy carbon. The lift pin has a straight trunk part to be inserted through the through hole; a head part to be made to abut a silicon wafer; and a cover part covering at least a top of the head part. The straight trunk part and the head part are made of a porous body, the cover part is made of a carbon-based covering material, and at least part of voids of the porous body of the head part is filled with the cover part.