Abstract: The present application discloses a method of cleaning a semiconductor wafer by mounting a wafer to a chuck, positioning a gas guard, defining therein a chamber having an open bottom, immediately above the layer of water, spraying de-ionized water onto the wafer while rotating the chuck at a location outside the chamber when the wafer is mounted to the chuck, to thereby form a layer of water on the wafer, and spraying a cleaning gas from a gas spraying unit disposed above said chuck through the chamber and into the layer of water to thereby cause the cleaning gas to dissolve in the layer of water, and at the same time moving the chamber across a surface of the wafer, to thereby clean the wafer, wherein said gas spraying unit includes a gas injection tube oriented to inject the cleaning gas towards the wafer mounted to the chuck, and the gas guard connected to the gas injection tube.

Abstract: A cleanling apparatus for removing contaminants from the surface of a substrate includes two parts: one which produces an aerosol including frozen particles and directs the aerosol onto the surface of the substrate to remove contaminants from the surface by physical force, and another part in which a fluid including a gaseous reactant is directed onto the surface of the substrate while the surface is irradiated to cause a chemical reaction between the reactant and organic contaminants on the surface, to chemically removing the organic contaminants. In the method of cleaning the substrate, the physical and chemical cleaning processes are carried out in a separate manner from one another so that the frozen particles of the aerosol are not exposed to the effects of the light used in irradiating the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the effectiveness of the aerosol in cleaning the substrate is maximized.

Abstract: A cleaning solution for use in removing a damaged portion of a ferroelectric layer, and a cleaning method using the solution. The cleaning solution includes a fluoride, an organic acid with carboxyl group, an alkaline pH adjusting agent and water.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device is provided, including a substrate and storage nodes formed on the substrate from a silicon oxide layer, the layer having been substantially removed by wet etching the silicon oxide layer to a predetermined depth of the storage nodes and dry etching the remaining portion of the silicon oxide layer to expose the storage nodes.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus includes a gas spraying unit, having a gas injection tube and a gas guard extending therearound, for spraying cleaning gas into a water layer formed on a wafer. The gas guard forms a small chamber just above the water layer, so that the partial pressure of gas injected from the gas injection tube is increased in the small chamber, whereupon the cleaning gas readily dissolves in the water layer. As a result, a cleaning solution having a high concentration of cleaning gas is produced, whereby the cleaning efficacy of the solution is high. Subsequently, a drying gas, such as isopropyl alcohol, for drying the wafer can be ejected onto the water layer using the gas spraying unit. Thus, the semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus has a simple structure.

Abstract: A method and semiconductor memory device are provided for manufacturing storage nodes using wet etching and dry etching including, when removing a silicon oxide layer including storage nodes, wet etching a portion of the silicon oxide layer using a buffered oxide etchant (“BOE”) solution or a hydrogen fluoride (“HF”) solution, and dry etching the remaining silicon oxide layer using a mixed gas of anhydrous HF, isopropyl alcohol (“IPA”) and vapor to thereby prevent short circuits caused by fallen storage nodes in the semiconductor memory device.

Abstract: A method for removing an oxide layer such as a natural oxide layer and a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which uses the method to remove the oxide layer. A vertically movable susceptor is installed at the lower portion in a processing chamber and a silicon wafer is loaded onto the susceptor when it is at the lower portion of the processing chamber. The air is exhausted from the processing chamber to form a vacuum condition therein. A hydrogen gas in a plasma state and a fluorine-containing gas are supplied into the processing chamber to induce a chemical reaction with the oxide layer on the silicon wafer, resulting in a reaction layer. Then, the susceptor is moved up to the upper portion of the processing chamber, to anneal the silicon wafer on the susceptor with a heater installed at the upper portion of the processing chamber, thus vaporizing the reaction layer. The vaporized reaction layer is exhausted out of the chamber.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus includes a gas spraying unit, having a gas injection tube and a gas guard extending therearound, for spraying cleaning gas into a water layer formed on a wafer. The gas guard forms a small chamber just above the water layer, so that the partial pressure of gas injected from the gas injection tube is increased in the small chamber, whereupon the cleaning gas readily dissolves in the water layer. As a result, a cleaning solution having a high concentration of cleaning gas is produced, whereby the cleaning efficacy of the solution is high. Subsequently, a drying gas, such as isopropyl alcohol, for drying the wafer can be ejected onto the water layer using the gas spraying unit. Thus, the semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus has a simple structure.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor wafer and method for cleaning a wafer using the same wherein, the apparatus includes a chamber on which a wafer is mounted, a revolving chuck mounted in the chamber for supporting and fixing the wafer, a nozzle for spraying cleaning solution onto the wafer, a cover for covering an upper part of the chamber, a heating lamp fixed on an upper part of the cover for heating the wafer or the cleaning solution, a cooling water conduit surrounding the cover, and an antipollution plate mounted on a lower part of the heating lamp in the cover for preventing the heating lamp from being polluted by the cleaning solution. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning solution, preferably of ozone water, hydrogen water, or electrolytic-ionized water, is heated for a short time and used to clean the wafer.

Abstract: A cleanling apparatus for removing contaminants from the surface of a substrate includes two parts: one which produces an aerosol including frozen particles and directs the aerosol onto the surface of the substrate to remove contaminants from the surface by physical force, and another part in which a fluid including a gaseous reactant is directed onto the surface of the substrate while the surface is irradiated to cause a chemical reaction between the reactant and organic contaminants on the surface, to chemically removing the organic contaminants. In the method of cleaning the substrate, the physical and chemical cleaning processes are carried out in a separate manner from one another so that the frozen particles of the aerosol are not exposed to the effects of the light used in irradiating the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the effectiveness of the aerosol in cleaning the substrate is maximized.

Abstract: A cleaning solution for use in removing a damaged portion of a ferroelectric layer, and a cleaning method using the solution. The cleaning solution includes a fluoride, an organic acid with carboxyl group, an alkaline pH adjusting agent and water.

Abstract: A cleaning solution selectively removes a titanium nitride layer and a non-reacting metal layer. The cleaning solution includes an acid solution and an oxidation agent with iodine. The cleaning solution also effectively removes a photoresist layer and organic materials. Moreover, the cleaning solution can be employed in tungsten gate electrode technologies that have been spotlighted because of the capability to improve device operation characteristics.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor wafer and method for cleaning a wafer using the same wherein, the apparatus includes a chamber on which a wafer is mounted, a revolving chuck mounted in the chamber for supporting and fixing the wafer, a nozzle for spraying cleaning solution onto the wafer, a cover for covering an upper part of the chamber, a heating lamp fixed on an upper part of the cover for heating the wafer or the cleaning solution, a cooling water conduit surrounding the cover, and an antipollution plate mounted on a lower part of the heating lamp in the cover for preventing the heating lamp from being polluted by the cleaning solution. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning solution, preferably of ozone water, hydrogen water, or electrolytic-ionized water, is heated for a short time and used to clean the wafer.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for removing contaminants from the surface of a substrate includes two parts: one which produces an aerosol including frozen particles and directs the aerosol onto the surface of the substrate to remove contaminants from the surface by physical force, and another part in which a fluid including a gaseous reactant is directed onto the surface of the substrate while the surface is irradiated to cause a chemical reaction between the reactant and organic contaminants on the surface, to chemically removing the organic contaminants. In the method of cleaning the substrate, the physical and chemical cleaning processes are carried out in a separate manner from one another so that the frozen particles of the aerosol are not exposed to the effects of the light used in irradiating the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the effectiveness of the aerosol in cleaning the substrate is maximized.

Abstract: A method and semiconductor memory device are provided for manufacturing storage nodes using wet etching and dry etching including, when removing a silicon oxide layer including storage nodes, wet etching a portion of the silicon oxide layer using a buffered oxide etchant (“BOE”) solution or a hydrogen fluoride (“HF”) solution, and dry etching the remaining silicon oxide layer using a mixed gas of anhydrous HF, isopropyl alcohol (“IPA”) and vapor to thereby prevent short circuits caused by fallen storage nodes in the semiconductor memory device.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming a metal interconnection using a plating process, which can improve the throughput and reliability of semiconductor devices by decreasing the required polishing in a chemical mechanical polishing process. A semiconductor device manufactured by this method is also provided. In the method of forming a metal interconnection, a recess region is formed in a portion of an insulation layer formed over a substrate, i.e., where a metal interconnection layer will be formed. A diffusion prevention layer is formed over the substrate, the insulation layer, and the recess region. Then, a metal seed layer is formed over the diffusion prevention layer only in the recess region using a chemical mechanical polishing process or an etch back process. A conductive plating layer is then formed on the metal seed layer only in the recess region. Thereafter, surface planarization is performed to form a metal interconnection layer in the recess region.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming a metal interconnection using a plating process, which can improve the throughput and reliability of semiconductor devices by decreasing the required polishing in a chemical mechanical polishing process. A semiconductor device manufactured by this method is also provided. In the method of forming a metal interconnection, a recess region is formed in a portion of an insulation layer formed over a substrate, i.e., where a metal interconnection layer will be formed. A diffusion prevention layer is formed over the substrate, the insulation layer, and the recess region. Then, a metal seed layer is formed over the diffusion prevention layer only in the recess region using a chemical mechanical polishing process or an etch back process. A conductive plating layer is then formed on the metal seed layer only in the recess region. Thereafter, surface polarization is performed to form a metal interconnection layer in the recess region.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor wafer includes a cleaning reaction chamber wherein the cleaning process is performed in a closed state, a wafer conveyor having wafer supporters for loading semiconductor onto a loading unit within the reaction chamber, at least one cleaning gas supply unit for supplying at least one cleaning solution in a vapor state into the reaction chamber, a water vaporizing unit for supplying vapor onto the semiconductor wafers, an ozone supply unit for supplying ozone gas into the reaction chamber, and a reaction gas exhaustion unit connected to the reaction chamber in order to exhaust the cleaning gas from the reaction chamber. The cleaning of the semiconductor wafers by adding cleaning gas and ozone gas into a reaction chamber easily removes any remaining photoresist that formed on the semiconductor wafers and any other contaminates from pre-processes.

Abstract: A wet process performed in the manufacture of semiconductor devices with cathode water and anode water produced from electrolyte using a 3-cell electrolyzer having an intermediate cell for the electrolyte. The 3-cell electrolyzer includes an anode cell, a cathode cell, and an intermediate cell between the anode and cathode cells, which are partitioned by ion exchange membranes. Deionized water is supplied into the anode and cathode cells, and the intermediate cell is filled with an electrolytic aqueous solution to perform electrolysis. The anode water containing oxidative substances or the cathode water containing reductive substances, which are produced by the electrolysis process, are used in the wet process.

Abstract: The surface of a semiconductor wafer is cleaned simultaneously using diluted hydrofluoric acid and electrolytic ionized water. The electrolytic ionized water is produced using an electrolyte supplied into an intermediate cell of a 3-cell electrolyzer. The 3-cell electrolyzer has an anode cell, the intermediate cell, and a cathode cell partitioned from one another by ion exchange membranes. After deionized water is supplied into the anode cell and the cathode cell and the intermediate cell is filled with an electrolytic aqueous solution, electrolysis is carried out to produce electrolytic ionized water. The electrolytic ionized water and the hydrofluoric acid solution are then supplied to one or more semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus. The simultaneous use of the electrolytic ionized water and the diluted hydrofluoric acid offers an improvement in removing contaminants from the surface of the wafer without damaging an insulating layer or a metal layer exposed at the surface of the semiconductor wafer.