Abstract: In order to detect a change in the temperature of a substrate (2) and a change of the distribution of oxygen radical concentration near a surface of the substrate (2), a lamp power in each zone of a heater (3) and a pressure in a reactor (1) are measured, the measured lamp power in each zone of the heater (3) and the measured pressure in the reactor (1) are inputted to the prediction equation of process model of a monitoring device (16)to predict the thickness profile of the substrate (2), and it is decided whether an abnormality occurs in thermal processing on the substrate (2) based on the predicted thickness profile.

Abstract: The method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor device fabricated by forming a seed film in recesses formed in an interlayer film and forming a thick film embedded in the recesses by electrolytic plating using the seed film as an electrode. In this fabrication method, the maximum length of time until the electrolytic plating is started after the completion of the seed film is limited based on the formation of the seed film in the recesses. The maximum time is reduced as the recesses have higher aspect ratios, preventing a void from being formed in the recesses during the plating, thereby obtaining highly reliable wiring.

Abstract: In order to detect a change in the temperature of a substrate (2) and a change of the distribution of oxygen radical concentration near a surface of the substrate (2), a lamp power in each zone of a heater (3) and a pressure in a reactor (1) are measured, the measured lamp power in each zone of the heater (3) and the measured pressure in the reactor (1) are inputted to the prediction equation of process model of a monitoring device (16)to predict the thickness profile of the substrate (2), and it is decided an abnormality occurs in thermal processing on the substrate (2) based on the predicted thickness profile.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of elements formed on a semiconductor substrate and an interlayer dielectric formed on the semiconductor substrate to fill spaces between adjacent ones of the plurality of elements. The concentration of an impurity in the interlayer dielectric is nonuniform in a direction along the thickness of the interlayer dielectric.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is provide a film forming method and a film forming apparatus for suppressing mixing of an organic type foreign material into a film forming chamber when forming a film, thereby reducing a defect density after a film formation. In order to achieve the object, the film forming apparatus comprises a load lock for placing a cassette for holding a wafer, a film forming chamber for forming a thin film on the wafer, and an arm for conveying the wafer from the load lock to the film forming chamber, wherein a mass spectrograph for measuring a partial pressure of an organic substance under an atmosphere in the load lock is placed in the load lock. In the film forming method, an atmosphere in the load lock in which a cassette holding the wafer is placed is firstly exhausted. In this exhaust, the exhaust is performed until a partial pressure of the organic substance under the atmosphere in the load lock reaches 7.5×10?5 mTorr or less.

Abstract: When inactive gas of which flow rate is controllable is introduced into each processing chamber, the flow rate of the inactive gas is measured by a flow meter, and a computing unit operates computation of the flow rate of the gas to be flown into a processing chamber and the pressure value of the processing chamber, and an appropriate process time (purging time) required for stabilizing the atmosphere/discharging floating foreign particles is set, so that adherence of foreign particles onto the substrate to be processed can be prevented by constantly controlling the time, flow rate and pressure throughout the process.

Abstract: Wafers, each including an MOS semiconductor component thereon, are introduced one by one into a single-wafer heat treatment system. First, hydrogen is introduced into the system and the wafer is heated up to a predetermined temperature in Step 1. Next, while the wafer temperature is kept constant at the predetermined temperature, the hydrogen sintering process is performed in Step 2. Then, the wafer is cooled down to another predetermined temperature or less within the system in Step 3. Finally, the wafer is taken out in Step 4. The time taken to perform a single cycle of the sintering process may be within three minutes. Accordingly, compared to a conventional process using a diffusion furnace, the throughput can be increased and the temperature response and uniformity of the wafer can also be improved. By taking the wafer out of the system after sintering and then cooling down it once, the damage caused in MOS interface states, for example, by a previous process step can be repaired in a short time.