Abstract: Storage water used for storage of a silicon wafer in water is disclosed. The storage water contains Cu at a concentration of 0.01 ppb or less. A method of storing a silicon wafer in water is also disclosed. In the method, water containing Cu at a concentration of 0.01 ppb or less is used. In another method, a wafer is stored in water or a chemical solution, to which a chelating agent is added. The storage water and the storage methods can prevent degradation of oxide dielectric breakdown voltage which would otherwise occur due to Cu contamination from the storage water.

Abstract: A silicon wafer is sand blasted using a sand blasting abrasive material containing a chelating agent which is selected from the group consisting of, for example, the following compounds (1) to (4) and salts thereof: (1) Nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) (2) Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (3) Diethylenediamine-N,N,N″,N″-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) (4) Cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CyDTA).

Abstract: Storage water used for storage of a silicon wafer in water is disclosed. The storage water contains Cu at a concentration of 0.01 ppb or less. A method of storing a silicon wafer in water is also disclosed. In the method, water containing Cu at a concentration of 0.01 ppb or less is used. In another method, a wafer is stored in water or a chemical solution, to which a chelating agent is added. The storage water and the storage methods can prevent degradation of oxide dielectric breakdown voltage which would otherwise occur due to Cu contamination from the storage water.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polishing pad for mirror-polishing a semiconductor wafer, especially in a finish polishing process, by use of a polishing machine which includes a turn table on which a polishing pad is attached, a unit for feeding a polishing agent onto a surface of the polishing pad, and a mechanism for pressing a semiconductor wafer onto the surface of the polishing pad. The polishing pad includes a top layer formed of a porous soft material, a bottom layer formed of a rubber elastomer, and an intermediate layer formed of a hard plastic sheet. The hard plastic sheet is disposed between the top layer and the bottom layer and is bonded to the bottom layer. In the polishing pad, undulation produced in the bottom layer due to a horizontal force generated during polishing is prevented from being transferred to the top layer of the polishing pad, and unevenness in polishing stock removal stemming from warpage or undulation of a wafer itself can be mitigated.

Abstract: There is disclosed a polishing pad for mirror-polishing a semiconductor wafer, especially in a finish polishing process, by use of a polishing machine which includes a turn table on which a polishing pad is attached, a unit for feeding a polishing agent onto a surface of the polishing pad, and a mechanism for pressing a semiconductor wafer onto the surface of the polishing pad. The polishing pad includes a top layer formed of a porous soft material, a bottom layer formed of a rubber elastomer, and an intermediate layer formed of a hard plastic sheet. The hard plastic sheet is disposed between the top layer and the bottom layer and is bonded to the bottom layer. In the polishing pad, undulation produced in the bottom layer due to a horizontal force generated during polishing is prevented from being transferred to the top layer of the polishing pad, and unevenness in polishing stock removal stemming from warpage or undulation of a wafer itself can be mitigated.

Abstract: In a polishing method for a semiconductor wafer in which polishing slurry is interposed between the semiconductor wafer and a polishing pad and the semiconductor wafer is mirror-polished by a polishing step for planarization, when polishing is conducted using a suede-like foam urethane resin polishing pad having physical properties of low compressibility lower than 9 % and high pore density equal to or higher than about 150 pores/cm.sup.2 as the polishing pad used in the polishing step, a mirror silicon wafer with good surface roughness of 50 bits in haze can be manufactured.

Abstract: A semiconductor silicon wafer polishing agent and a polishing method using the same are provided for avoiding the need for an increased purity of a polishing agent which may cause a prohibitively high cost, while still preventing semiconductor wafers from being contaminated by metals, particularly by copper and nickel, in a polishing process. The semiconductor silicon wafer polishing agent comprises a silica containing polishing agent as a main component, and Cu and Ni respectively in concentration of 0.01 to 1 ppb with respect to the total amount of the polishing agent.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer polishing agent contains mainly a silica containing polishing agent and is added with a polyolefin type fine particle material. The novel semiconductor wafer polishing agent is capable of low brightness polishing to the back face of the wafer, sensor detection of the front and back faces of the wafer, and suppression of dust to be generated by chipping of the back face of the wafer, thereby to increase the yield of semiconductor devices. A polishing method using the polishing agent and a novel semiconductor wafer having a back face with an unconventional surface shape are also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer polishing agent contains mainly a silica containing polishing agent and is added with a polyolefin type fine particle material. The novel semiconductor wafer polishing agent is capable of low brightness polishing to the back face of the wafer, sensor detection of the front and back faces of the wafer, and suppression of dust to be generated by chipping of the back face of the wafer, thereby to increase the yield of semiconductor devices. A polishing method using the polishing agent and a novel semiconductor wafer having a back face with an unconventional surface shape are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing semiconductor mirror wafers includes a double side primary mirror polishing step, a back side low brightness polishing step and a front side final mirror polishing step, wherein a silica containing polishing agent is used together with a polyolefin type fine particle material for the back side low brightness polishing. The method is capable of low brightness polishing of the back side, sensor detection of the front and back sides, suppression of generation of fine dust or particles from back side, thereby to increase the yield of semiconductor devices, manufacturing mirror wafers with higher flatness level, and higher productivity due to simplification of processes.

Abstract: A high-frequency induction heater for use in the growth of a semiconductor single crystal by the FZ method, including a plurality of high-frequency induction heating coils disposed in concentric juxtaposed relation to each other and each having a pair of power supply terminals provided for supplying a high-frequency current to the associated heating coil, with the power supply terminals of one of the heating coils being disposed in a space defined between opposite ends of an adjacent heating coil disposed outside the one heating coil, wherein a pair of electrically conductive members is attached to the pair of power supply terminals, respectively, of at least an innermost one of the heating coils so as to cover a space defined between the power supply terminals of the innermost heating coil. With the induction heater thus constructed, the so-called "pulsation", i.e.