Pre-thermal treatment cleaning process of wafers
August 26, 2014. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.Patent ReferencesProcess for protecting polished silicon surfaces Method and apparatus for cleaning integrated circuit wafers Method of reducing defects on semiconductor wafers Process for preserving the surface of silicon wafers Process for the wet-chemical treatment of semiconductor surfaces Process for the wet-chemical surface treatment of semiconductor wafers Process for producing storage-stable surfaces of polished silicon wafers Method of characterizing the level of cleanliness of an inorganic surface Wafer cleaning method and apparatus therefore Surface treating cleaning method InventorsApplicationNo. 296537 filed on 08/26/1994US Classes:438/473, By implanting or irradiating134/1.3, Semiconductor cleaning134/2, For metallic, siliceous, or calcareous basework, including chemical bleaching, oxidation or reduction134/26, Using sequentially applied treating agents257/E21.228, Wet cleaning only (EPO)257/E21.229, Combining dry and wet cleaning steps (EPO)257/E21.288, Of silicon (EPO)438/753, Silicon438/799, By differential heating438/974SUBSTRATE SURFACE PREPARATIONExaminersPrimary: Fourson, GeorgeAssistant: Pham, Long Attorney, Agent or FirmInternational ClassH01L 021/02AbstractProcess for heat-treating a silicon wafer which includes the steps of contacting the surface of the silicon wafer with an aqueous solution containing hydrofluoric acid to remove metals from the wafer surface, contacting the hydrofluoric acid treated wafers with ozonated water to grow a hydrophilic oxide layer on the surface of the silicon wafer, and heating the ozonated water treated wafers to a temperature of at least about 300° C. for a duration of at least about 1 second. The concentration of each of iron, chromium, calcium, titanium, cobalt, manganese, zinc and vanadium, on the surface of the silicon wafer at the initiation of the heating being less than 1×109 atoms/cm2. | |
