Abstract: Methods of positioning semiconductor substrates in a furnace. One method determines a centered position of the substrates by conducting a heat treating to form an oxide layer on the substrate and measuring the substrate thickness at several points along its oxidized surface to determine a centered position. Also, a method of calibrating a device for heat treatment of the substrates, with the device including a positioner for providing the substrates on a retention support in the furnace. The positioner includes a memory unit that stores positioning parameters, and an actuator for positioning the substrate on the support according to the positioning parameters. The method includes positioning a test substrate on the support in a starting position according to starting parameters, determining a centered position for the test substrate, determining centering parameters corresponding to the centered position of the test substrate and storing the centering parameters in the memory unit.

Abstract: A method of measuring a circular wafer in which the surface (A) of the wafer is divided into a plurality (N) of concentric rings of constant surface area (A/N), and at least one measurement point (Pn) is positioned on each ring. The outside radius (Rn) of each ring is calculated using the following formula: Rn=RN(n/N)1/2 in which n varies from 1 to N. In this manner, rings are obtained that become narrower with increasing distance from the center of the wafer, thereby providing measurement points that become closer together towards the edge of the wafer, and covering only the useful zone of the wafer to be measured, guaranteeing that no measurement is made in an annular exclusion zone.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor multilayer wafer by manufacturing an intermediate multilayer wafer having a polished layer from which a surface layer is obtained. The surface roughness is reduced by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) removal of part of the polish layer with the CMP monitored through reflectometry of light. The reflectometry produces a response that includes reference points associated with a known thickness of the polish layer and the CMP is stopped once a predetermined reference point has been reached. The method includes conducting a preliminary calibration of the CMP to define a preliminary thickness which corresponds to a preliminary value of thickness of the polish layer, wherein the preliminary thickness is defined by the total of a thickness of polish layer known associated with the predetermined reference point, and a thickness to be removed, and a thickness for the polish layer is provided which is substantially equal to the preliminary thickness.

Abstract: A method of measuring a circular wafer in which the surface (A) of the wafer is divided into a plurality (N) of concentric rings of constant surface area (A/N), and at least one measurement point (Pn) is positioned on each ring. The outside radius (Rn) of each ring is calculated using the following formula: Rn=RN(n/N)1/2 in which n varies from 1 to N. In this manner, rings are obtained that become narrower with increasing distance from the center of the wafer, thereby providing measurement points that become closer together towards the edge of the wafer, and covering only the useful zone of the wafer to be measured, guaranteeing that no measurement is made in an annular exclusion zone.