Abstract: The invention provides a method of cleaning the surface (3) of a wafer (1), comprising a hot rinse step in which the wafer (1) is at a temperature that is at least 100C higher than room temperature, the wafer (1) is rotated around an axis perpendicular to the wafer surface (3) and water is dispensed on the wafer surface (3). Thereafter a first drying step is performed in which the wafer (1) is rotated around the axis perpendicular to the wafer surface (3) and in which the humidity of the environment is such that the water on the wafer surface (3) is partially removed while the wafer surface (3) remains covered with a film of water (13). The first drying step is followed by a second drying step, which removes the film of water (13) from the wafer surface (3). The method according to the invention advantageously reduces metal ion contamination on the wafer surface (3).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the step of removing a silicon and nitrogen containing material by means of wet etching with an aqueous solution comprising hydrofluoric acid in a low concentration, the aqueous solution being applied under elevated pressure to reach a temperature above 100° C.

Abstract: A method of reducing the thickness t of a layer of material on a substrate when the substrate is exposed to an etchant for a span of time sufficient to reduce t to a value to, at which point exposure to the etchant is interrupted, includes the thickness to being determined using monitoring means which, at any given instant, allow determination of the depth &Dgr;t of material which has been etched away. The method further includes the monitoring means being embodied as a resonant crystal whose resonant frequency f at any given instant is a function of the mass m of the crystal at that instant. The crystal is coated with a layer of reference material of thickness d, which material can be etched using the same etchant as for the material on the substrate. The crystal is exposed to the etchant simultaneously with the substrate, thus causing m to decrease as reference material is etched away, a decrease Am in m corresponding to a decrease &Dgr;d in d, in turn corresponding to a decrease &Dgr;t in t.

Abstract: A method of reducing the thickness t of a layer of material on a substrate, whereby the substrate is exposed to an etchant for a span of time sufficient to reduce t to a value to, at which point exposure to the etchant is interrupted, whereby:

Abstract: A method of providing an ultra-thin (<1 nm) silicon-oxide layer on a substrate surface, for example, of a metal. A film of a solution of a polyorganosiloxane is applied to the substrate surface. After drying, the polyorganosiloxane is completely converted to said silicon-oxide layer by means of an UV-ozone treatment. Such an ultra-thin silicon-oxide layer sufficiently protects a metal surface against corrosion. In addition, the silicon-oxide layer can be silanized with the customary silane coupling agents to improve the bond with polymers. The method can very suitably be used, for example, to treat metal leadframes for ICs and to provide a bonding layer for indium tin oxide on polyacrylate for a passive plate of LC displays.