Abstract: In a method for determining cleanliness of a cleaning member that contacts a substrate and with which scrub cleaning is performed, the method includes a first step of self-cleaning a cleaning member by releasing contaminants from the cleaning member into a cleaning liquid, and a second step of bringing a self-cleaning discharged liquid into contact with an electrode of a crystal oscillator, attaching the contaminants contained in the discharged liquid onto the electrode of the crystal oscillator, then measuring a frequency response of the crystal oscillator in which the contaminants are attached onto the electrode, and determining cleanliness of the cleaning member based on the measured frequency response.

Abstract: A substrate cleaning method which can determine an appropriate replacement time of a cleaning tool is disclosed. The substrate cleaning method includes: rubbing a cleaning tool against a substrate in the presence of a cleaning liquid while supplying the cleaning liquid onto the substrate to thereby clean a surface of the substrate; acquiring surface data representing surface properties of the cleaning tool in a wet condition by use of an atomic force microscope after performing cleaning of the surfaces of a predetermined number of substrates; and comparing the surface data with a predetermined threshold to thereby determine a replacement time of the cleaning tool.

Abstract: A surface treatment apparatus of a substrate can clean a substrate surface in the air without employing a vacuum apparatus, and can remove a natural oxide film or an organic material, such as BTA, from the substrate surface without resorting to plasma cleaning. The surface treatment apparatus includes: an inert gas supply section for supplying an inert gas to the whole or part of a substrate surface to form an oxygen-blocking zone; a heating section for keeping the substrate surface at a predetermined temperature; and a cleaning gas supply section for supplying a cleaning gas to the oxygen-blocking zone to clean the substrate surface.

Abstract: A film thickness measuring method can carry out measurement of a thickness of an oxide film more simply in a shorter time. The film thickness measuring method includes determining a thickness of an oxide film or thin film of a metal or alloy by solely using a phase difference ?, measured by ellipsometry, based on a predetermined relationship between the phase difference ? and the thickness of the oxide film or thin film of the metal or alloy.

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus having a drying mechanism for removing water from a surface of a substrate which has been cleaned by a wet cleaning process, and a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method which are capable of efficiently removing an unnecessary thin film deposited on or adhering to a bevel or edge portion of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus of this invention has a substrate holder for holding a substrate, and a dry gas supply section for turning an atmosphere, to which at least a portion of a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder is exposed, into a humidity-controlled dry gas atmosphere.

Abstract: This polishing method and polishing apparatus include: a polishing characteristics measurement step in which electrochemical characteristics of a slurry in relation to a material to be polished are measured; and a preparation step in which the slurry is prepared based on the measured electrochemical characteristics, wherein, in the polishing characteristics measurement step, a slurry is supplied from a slurry supply apparatus 202, and using a sample polishing pad that is formed from the same material as the polishing pad and a sample material to be polished that is formed from the same material as the material to be polished, the electrochemical characteristics are measured both when the sample material to be polished is being polished by the sample polishing pad and when the sample material to be polished is not being polished by the sample polishing pad.

Abstract: An surface treatment apparatus of a substrate can clean a substrate surface in the air without employing a vacuum apparatus, and can remove a natural oxide film or an organic material, such as BTA, from the substrate surface without resorting to plasma cleaning. The surface treatment apparatus includes: an inert gas supply section for supplying an inert gas to the whole or part of a substrate surface to form an oxygen-blocking zone; a heating section for keeping the substrate surface at a predetermined temperature; and a cleaning gas supply section for supplying a cleaning gas to the oxygen-blocking zone to clean the substrate surface.

Abstract: To provide an apparatus and a method capable of supplying a gas containing an evaporated reducing organic compound while strictly controlling the flow rate thereof to process a surface of a metal on a substrate without causing any deterioration of various types of films forming a semiconductor element with a simple apparatus configuration. The apparatus includes a process chamber 10 for keeping a substrate W therein, the process chamber 10 being gastight, an evacuation control system 20 for controlling the pressure in the process chamber 10, and a process gas supply system 30 for supplying a process gas containing a reducing organic compound to the process chamber 10.

Abstract: A method for polishing a thin film formed on a substrate includes planarizing a thin film formed on a reference substrate by a CMP process such that the thin film remains on the reference substrate. After the planarizing, the thin film is cleaned, and then values of ? and ? with respect to the cleaned thin film are measured by ellipsometry. A physical property of the thin film is determined based on the ? and ? which have been measured by ellipsometry, and a polishing condition for an other substrate having a thin film to be polished is set based on physical property data which are obtained by the determining of the physical property.

Abstract: A method for polishing a thin film formed on a substrate includes planarizing a thin film formed on a reference substrate by a CMP process such that the thin film remains on the reference substrate. After the planarizing, the thin film is cleaned, and then values of ? and ? with respect to the cleaned thin film are measured by ellipsometry. A physical property of the thin film is determined based on the ? and ? which have been measured by ellipsometry, and a polishing condition for an other substrate having a thin film to be polished is set based on physical property data which are obtained by the determining of the physical property.

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus having a drying mechanism for removing water from the surface of a substrate which has been cleaned by a wet cleaning process, and a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method which are capable of efficiently removing an unnecessary thin film deposited on or adhering to a bevel or edge portion of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus of this invention has a substrate holder for holding a substrate, and a dry gas supply section for turning an atmosphere to which at least a portion of a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder is exposed into a humidity-controlled dry gas atmosphere.

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus which has reproducibility over a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and between substrates and can manufacture semiconductor devices or the like with a high yield. According to the present invention, a substrate processing method of forming a protective film selectively on bottom surfaces and side surfaces or exposed surfaces of embedded interconnects formed in a surface of a substrate is characterized by performing a pre-plating process on the substrate, carrying out electroless plating on the surface of the substrate after the pre-plating process to form the protective film selectively on the bottom surfaces and the side surfaces or the exposed surfaces of the interconnects, and bringing the substrate into a dry state after the electroless plating.

Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method of the this invention having the step of forming an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the step of making interconnection groove in the interlayer insulating film, the step of filling the inside of the interconnection groove with a conductive film which is made of a first substance and is thicker than the depth of the interconnection groove, the step of thermally stabilizing the size of crystal grains in an Al film either at the same time or after the Al film has been formed, the step of forming a Cu film on the Al film, the step of selectively forming &thgr; phase layers in a crystal grain boundary of the Al film by causing Cu to selectively diffuse into the crystal grain boundary of Al film and of allowing the &thgr; phase layers to divide the Al film in the interconnection groove into fine Al interconnections shorter than the Blech critical length, and the step of removing the Al film and Cu film outside the interconnection groove.

Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method of the this invention having the step of forming an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the step of making interconnection groove in the interlayer insulating film, the step of filling the inside of the interconnection groove with a conductive film which is made of a first substance and is thicker than the depth of the interconnection groove, the step of thermally stabilizing the size of crystal grains in an Al film either at the same time or after the Al film has been formed, the step of forming a Cu film on the Al film, the step of selectively forming &thgr; phase layers in a crystal grain boundary of the Al film by causing Cu to selectively diffuse into the crystal grain boundary of Al film and of allowing the &thgr; phase layers to divide the Al film in the interconnection groove into fine Al interconnections shorter than the Blech critical length, and the step of removing the Al film and Cu film outside the interconnection groove.

Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method of the this invention having the step of forming an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor substrate, the step of making interconnection groove in the interlayer insulating film, the step of filling the inside of the interconnection groove with a conductive film which is made of a first substance and is thicker than the depth of the interconnection groove, the step of thermally stabilizing the size of crystal grains in an Al film either at the same time or after the Al film has been formed, the step of forming a Cu film on the Al film, the step of selectively forming &thgr; phase layers in a crystal grain boundary of the Al film by causing Cu to selectively diffuse into the crystal grain boundary of Al film and of allowing the &thgr; phase layers to divide the Al film in the interconnection groove into fine Al interconnections shorter than the Blech critical length, and the step of removing the Al film and Cu film outside the interconnection groove.

Abstract: A wiring forming method includes a step of forming an oxide film on a silicon substrate, a step of forming a connection hole whose aspect ratio is larger than 1 in the insulation film, a step of forming an Al wiring film on the entire surface by the bias sputtering method and heating the silicon substrate to cause Al wiring film to flow into and fill the connection hole, and a step of processing Al wiring film to form an Al wiring.