Abstract: There is provided a method for processing a semiconductor wafer subjected to a chamfering process, a lapping process, an etching process, and a mirror-polishing process, wherein acid etching is performed after alkaline etching as the etching process, and the acid etching is performed with an acid etchant composed of hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and water, a method for processing a semiconductor wafer subjected to a chamfering process, a surface grinding process, an etching process, and a mirror-polishing process, wherein the etching process is performed as described above, and a method for processing a semiconductor wafer subjected to a flattening process, an etching process, and a mirror-polishing process, wherein the etching process is performed as described above, a back surface polishing process is performed after the acid etching as the mirror-polishing process, and then a front surface polishing process is performed.

Abstract: A polishing method and polishing apparatus capable of improving the flatness of a wafer are provided. When a wafer is adhered to a wafer holding plate for polishing a surface to be polished of the wafer by pressing and rubbing the surface to be polished against a polishing pad on a polishing turn table, the wafer is held by vacuum-chucking the surface to be polished of the wafer such that a surface to be adhered of the wafer forms a convex surface in a vicinity including an arbitrary point in the surface to be adhered within a region surrounding a center of the surface to be adhered of the wafer, and the region being at least not less than 50% of an entire adhesion area; and the wafer is adhered to the wafer holding plate from a central portion of the surface to be adhered of the wafer.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a silicon wafer, wherein the method comprises at least a lapping process by use of loose abrasive grains and an etching process by use of an alkaline etching solution, lapping is performed in the lapping process by use of abrasive grains having a maximum grain diameter of 21 &mgr;m or less and an average grain diameter of 8.5 &mgr;m or less serving as the loose abrasive grains, and after that, etching is performed in the etching process by use of an alkaline solution having a concentration of an alkaline component of 50% by weight or more serving as the alkaline etching solution, and relates to a silicon wafer produced by the production method. Thus, there can be provided a method for producing a silicon wafer which can prevent degradation of surface roughness of the wafer and flatness of the whole wafer, and a silicon wafer produced by the method.

Abstract: There is provided a method for processing a semiconductor wafer subjected to a chamfering process, a lapping process, an etching process, and a mirror-polishing process, wherein acid etching is performed after alkaline etching as the etching process, and the acid etching is performed with an acid etchant composed of hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and water, a method for processing a semiconductor wafer subjected to a chamfering process, a surface grinding process, an etching process, and a mirror-polishing process, wherein the etching process is performed as described above, and a method for processing a semiconductor wafer subjected to a flattening process, an etching process, and a mirror-polishing process, wherein the etching process is performed as described above, a back surface polishing process is performed after the acid etching as the mirror-polishing process, and then a front surface polishing process is performed.

Abstract: A polishing method and polishing apparatus capable of improving the flatness of a wafer are provided. When a wafer is adhered to a wafer holding plate for polishing a surface to be polished of the wafer by pressing and rubbing the surface to be polished against a polishing pad on a polishing turn table, the wafer is held by vacuum-chucking the surface to be polished of the wafer such that a surface to be adhered of the wafer forms a convex surface in a vicinity including an arbitrary point in the surface to be adhered within a region surrounding a center of the surface to be adhered of the wafer, and the region being at least not less than 50% of an entire adhesion area; and the wafer is adhered to the wafer holding plate from a central portion of the surface to be adhered of the wafer.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer sliced from a monocrystalline ingot comprises at least the steps of chamfering, lapping, etching, mirror-polishing, and cleaning. In the etching step, alkali etching is first performed and then acid etching, preferably reaction-controlled acid etching, is performed. The etching amount of the alkali etching is greater than the etching amount of the acid etching. Alternatively, in the etching step, reaction-controlled acid etching is first performed and then diffusion-controlled acid etching is performed. The etching amount of the reaction-controlled acid etching is greater than the etching amount of the diffusion-controlled acid etching.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer sliced from a monocrystalline ingot comprises at least the steps of chamfering, lapping, etching, mirror-polishing, and cleaning. In the etching step, alkali etching is first performed and then acid etching, preferably reaction-controlled acid etching, is performed. The etching amount of the alkali etching is greater than the etching amount of the acid etching. Alternatively, in the etching step, reaction-controlled acid etching is first performed and then diffusion-controlled acid etching is performed. The etching amount of the reaction-controlled acid etching is greater than the etching amount of the diffusion-controlled acid etching.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer sliced from a monocrystalline ingot comprises at least the steps of chamfering, lapping, etching, mirror-polishing, and cleaning. In the etching step, alkali etching is first performed and then acid etching, preferably reaction-controlled acid etching, is performed. The etching amount of the alkali etching is greater than the etching amount of the acid etching. Alternatively, in the etching step, reaction-controlled acid etching is first performed and then diffusion-controlled acid etching is performed. The etching amount of the reaction-controlled acid etching is greater than the etching amount of the diffusion-controlled acid etching.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer sliced from a monocrystalline ingot comprises at least the steps of chamfering, lapping, etching, mirror-polishing, and cleaning. In the etching step, alkali etching is first performed and then acid etching, preferably reaction-controlled acid etching, is performed. The etching amount of the alkali etching is greater than the etching amount of the acid etching. Alternatively, in the etching step, reaction-controlled acid etching is first performed and then diffusion-controlled acid etching is performed. The etching amount of the reaction-controlled acid etching is greater than the etching amount of the diffusion-controlled acid etching.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method of manufacturing semiconductor wafers, in which a lapping process is performed prior to a chamfering process. This makes it possible to manufacture semiconductor wafers while maintaining the smoothness and dimensional accuracy of a chamfered surface of each wafer obtained by the chamfering process.

Abstract: The method for efficiently measuring the thickness or surface flatness of, for example, a high-purity silicon semiconductor wafer uses a table to mount the wafer and a plurality of optoelectric sensors, each sensor being movable in the direction perpendicular to the table. The sensors are designed to project light beams to the measuring points set forth on the wafer surface. The light beam reflected from each measuring point is detected by a detector there. To the detector is connected a photoelectric transducer which generates electric signals corresponding to the distance of each measuring point from a reference surface, so that thickness variations can be found. In a preferred embodiment, the sensors are arranged in linear rows at regular intervals and the wafer surface is scanned with the light beams so that all measuring points distributed lattice-wise at regular intervals on the wafer surface are covered.