Abstract: A substrate cleaning device is capable of removing more diverse contaminants from substrates than ultra-low temperature aerosol ejection, while avoiding technical problems inherent to wet cleaning, such as micro-roughness, watermarks, loss of substrate material and destruction of the device structure. A substrate cleaning device for cleaning wafers to which cleaning target objects have adhered includes a cluster spraying unit which sprays the wafer with one or more types of clusters formed of cleaning preparation molecules agglomerated together, a suction unit which sucks the cleaning target objects separated by spraying the clusters of the cleaning agent molecules; and a unit for moving the wafer and the cluster spraying unit relative to the one another along the surface of the wafer W to which the cleaning target objects have adhered.

Abstract: A gas cluster irradiation mechanism includes at least one nozzle unit having a plurality of gas injection nozzles, and a gas supply unit for supplying the gas to the nozzle unit. The plurality of the gas injection nozzles is set such that when the gas is supplied from the gas injection nozzles at a preset flow rate a pressure in the processing chamber remains below a limit at which the gas cluster begins to be destroyed. Further, the gas injection nozzles are arranged with a preset interval between neighboring gas injection nozzle such that respective areas in which residual gas from the neighboring gas injection nozzles spreads do not overlap with each other, the residual gas being part of the gas injected from the gas injection nozzles and not contributing to generation of the gas cluster.

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: In order to remove the particles attached to the wafer W, the distance between a front end of a nozzle unit 4 and the wafer W is set to be in a range of from about 10 mm to about 100 mm, a pressure within a cleaning chamber 31 is set to be an adequate level, and then, a gas cluster is irradiated to a surface of the wafer W. Therefore, the particles are rapidly removed with high efficiency. Further, since the gas cluster is vertically irradiated to the surface of the wafer W from the nozzle unit 4, damage of a recess pattern is suppressed. Furthermore, by supplying a mixed gas containing a carbon dioxide gas and a helium gas to the nozzle unit 4 and generating the gas cluster, the particles are removed with high efficiency.

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: 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: In a cleaning method, a substrate having a pattern formed on the surface thereof can be cleaned by using a cleaning fluid, while preventing the pattern protrusions from being flattened when the cleaning fluid is removed or dried. The cleaning method includes the steps of: loading a substrate onto a loading platform inside a processing chamber; heating the substrate; and supplying a cleaning fluid onto the surface of the substrate. The substrate is heated in the substrate heating step so that the Leidenfrost phenomenon occurs and steam of the cleaning fluid is interposed between the substrate and droplets of the cleaning fluid supplied to the substrate in the cleaning fluid supply step.

Abstract: A plasma generation method in a toroidal plasma generator that includes a gas passage having a gas entrance and a gas outlet and forming a circuitous path and a coil wound around a part of the gas passage includes the steps of supplying a mixed gas of an Ar gas and an NF3 gas containing at least 5% of NF3 and igniting plasma by driving the coil with a high-frequency power, wherein the plasma ignition step is conducted under a total pressure of 6.65-66.5 Pa.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing method performing a plasma etching process on an oxide film of a target substrate through one or more steps by using a processing gas including a CF-based gas and a COS gas. The plasma processing method includes: performing a plasma etching process on the oxide film of the target substrate according to a processing recipe; measuring a concentration of sulfur (S) remaining on the target substrate (residual S concentration) after the plasma etching process is performed according to the processing recipe; adjusting a ratio of a COS gas flow rate with respect to a CF-based gas flow rate (COS/CF ratio) so as to allow the residual S concentration to become equal to or smaller than a predetermined value; and performing an actual plasma etching process according to a modified processing recipe storing the adjusted COS/CF ratio.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning device is capable of removing more diverse contaminants from substrates than ultra-low temperature aerosol ejection, while avoiding technical problems inherent to wet cleaning, such as micro-roughness, watermarks, loss of substrate material and destruction of the device structure. A substrate cleaning device for cleaning wafers to which cleaning target objects have adhered includes a cluster spraying unit which sprays the wafer with one or more types of clusters formed of cleaning preparation molecules agglomerated together, a suction unit which sucks the cleaning target objects separated by spraying the clusters of the cleaning agent molecules; and a unit for moving the wafer and the cluster spraying unit relative to the one another along the surface of the wafer W to which the cleaning target objects have adhered.

Abstract: A resist removal apparatus and method are effective in removing a resist without oxidizing the substrate material other than the resist. The resist removal apparatus, which removes resist from a wafer on which a resist film has been formed, includes a cluster spraying unit which sprays a wafer with clusters each of which is formed of a plurality of organic solvent molecules agglomerated together.

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: A method of analyzing a quartz member includes the step of supplying an etchant to the quartz member so as to etch the quartz member. The method also includes analyzing the etchant used in the supplying step. The etchant is supplied to a concave etchant receiving portion that is formed in the quartz member prior to the supplying step and has an inner wall thereof formed of the quartz member.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technology in which a nozzle part is mounted in a vacuum chamber and a silicon substrate is held to face a discharge hole of the nozzle part. For example, ClF3 gas and Ar gas are supplied from the nozzle part and the mixed gas is discharged from the nozzle part under a vacuum atmosphere. By doing this, the mixed gas is adiabatically expanded and the Ar atoms or ClF3 molecules are combined, which become a gas cluster. The gas cluster is irradiated to the surface of the silicon substrate without being ionized and, as a result, the surface of the silicon surface becomes a porous state. Then, lithium is grown on the surface of the silicon substrate in a separate vacuum chamber 41 by sputtering without breaking the vacuum.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing method performing a plasma etching process on an oxide film of a target substrate through one or more steps by using a processing gas including a CF-based gas and a COS gas. The plasma processing method includes: performing a plasma etching process on the oxide film of the target substrate according to a processing recipe; measuring a concentration of sulfur (S) remaining on the target substrate (residual S concentration) after the plasma etching process is performed according to the processing recipe; adjusting a ratio of a COS gas flow rate with respect to a CF-based gas flow rate (COS/CF ratio) so as to allow the residual S concentration to become equal to or smaller than a predetermined value; and performing an actual plasma etching process according to a modified processing recipe storing the adjusted COS/CF ratio.

Abstract: A component for a semiconductor processing apparatus includes a matrix defining a shape of the component, and a protection film covering a predetermined surface of the matrix. The protection film consists essentially of an amorphous oxide of a first element selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silicon, hafnium, zirconium, and yttrium. The protection film has a porosity of less than 1% and a thickness of 1 nm to 10 ?m.

Abstract: In a cleaning method, a substrate having a pattern formed on the surface thereof can be cleaned by using a cleaning fluid, while preventing the pattern protrusions from being flattened when the cleaning fluid is removed or dried. The cleaning method includes the steps of: loading a substrate onto a loading platform inside a processing chamber; heating the substrate; and supplying a cleaning fluid onto the surface of the substrate. The substrate is heated in the substrate heating step so that the Leidenfrost phenomenon occurs and steam of the cleaning fluid is interposed between the substrate and droplets of the cleaning fluid supplied to the substrate in the cleaning fluid supply step.

Abstract: An analysis apparatus includes a first process part for removing a film formed on a substrate by irradiating the film with ultraviolet light, a second process part for providing a solution onto a surface of the substrate for dissolving an object being analyzed on the substrate, and a third process part for analyzing the object being analyzed in the solution that is used in the second step.

Abstract: A plasma generation method in a toroidal plasma generator that includes a gas passage having a gas entrance and a gas outlet and forming a circuitous path and a coil wound around a part of the gas passage includes the steps of supplying a mixed gas of an Ar gas and an NF3 gas containing at least 5% of NF3 and igniting plasma by driving the coil with a high-frequency power, wherein the plasma ignition step is conducted under a total pressure of 6.65-66.5 Pa.

Abstract: An analysis apparatus includes a first process part for removing a film formed on a substrate by irradiating the film with ultraviolet light, a second process part for providing a solution onto a surface of the substrate for dissolving an object being analyzed on the substrate, and a third process part for analyzing the object being analyzed in the solution that is used in the second step.