The present invention provides a treatment liquid that exhibits excellent washing properties and improves the smoothness of an object to be treated in a case where the treatment liquid is used for treating an object to be treated containing a cobalt-containing substance. The present invention also provides a method for treating an object to be treated. The treatment liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention contains water, hydroxylamine, and three kinds of first anions consisting of Cl.sup.−, NO.sub.2.sup.−, and NO.sub.3.sup.−, in which a total content of the first anions is 0.0001 to 30 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the hydroxylamine.

A chemical solution used for cleaning or etching a ruthenium-containing layer, which can obtain the ruthenium-containing layer having a reduced surface roughness while maintaining a good etching rate against the ruthenium, and a method for fabricating ruthenium wiring. The chemical solution includes orthoperiodic acid, a base component, and any one of a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound, an organic phosphonic acid, and an organic carboxylic acid.

Etching compositions are provided. The etching compositions can be used for etching cobalt. The etching compositions may include a chelator, water, an oxidizer, and an organic solvent, and the chelator may include an organic acid, an amine compound and/or a polyhydric alcohol. Water may be present in an amount of 1 wt % to 10 wt % based on a total weight of the etching composition.

Provided is a treatment liquid for etching a transition metal on a semiconductor wafer, the treatment liquid comprising: (A) a hypohalite ion or periodate ion; and (B) an alkylammonium salt represented by the following Formula (1).

##STR00001##

(wherein a is an integer from 6 to 20, R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are independently a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having carbon number from 1 to 20, and X.sup.− is a bromine-containing ion), and a method of etching a transition metal by bringing the treatment liquid for semiconductor wafers into contact with the transition metal used in a semiconductor formation process.

A transparent conductive film (TCF) and methods for creating the TCF. The TCF includes a substrate having a surface, a metal mesh layer over at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, and a conductive layer over the metal mesh layer. The conductive layer includes carbon nanotubes and a binder.

A transparent conductive film (TCF) and methods for creating the TCF. The TCF includes a substrate having a surface, a metal mesh layer over at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, and a conductive layer over the metal mesh layer. The conductive layer includes carbon nanotubes and a binder.

Provided is a treatment liquid for a semiconductor wafer or the like used in a process for forming a semiconductor. Namely a treatment liquid containing (A) a hypochlorite ion, and (B) an alkylammonium salt expressed by the following Formula (1), or the like is provided.

##STR00001##

(In the Formula, “a” is an integer from 6 to 20; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are independently, for example, an alkyl group with a carbon number from 1 to 20; and X.sup.− is, for example, a chloride ion.)

The present invention relates to an etching solution composition for selectively etching only silver, a silver alloy, or a silver compound, and to a circuit forming method using the composition. The circuit forming method according to the present invention is characterized in that, in a substrate material in which an electrically conductive seed layer and a circuit layer are formed of heterogeneous metals, only the seed layer is selectively etched to enable the implementation of fine pitches. In addition, the present invention relates to a circuit forming method and an etching solution composition, wherein only a seed layer of silver (Ag), a silver alloy, or a silver compound is selectively etched without etching a copper (Cu) plated circuit.

A rolled metal sheet includes an obverse surface and a reverse surface that is a surface located opposite to the obverse surface. At least either one of the obverse surface and the reverse surface is a processing object. A method for manufacturing a metal mask substrate includes reducing a thickness of the rolled metal sheet to 10 μm or less by etching the processing object by 3 μm or more by use of an acidic etching liquid, and roughening the processing object so that the processing object becomes a resist formation surface that has a surface roughness Rz of 0.2 μm or more, thereby obtaining a metal mask sheet.

A rolled metal sheet includes an obverse surface and a reverse surface that is a surface located opposite to the obverse surface. At least either one of the obverse surface and the reverse surface is a processing object. A method for manufacturing a metal mask substrate includes reducing a thickness of the rolled metal sheet to 10 μm or less by etching the processing object by 3 μm or more by use of an acidic etching liquid, and roughening the processing object so that the processing object becomes a resist formation surface that has a surface roughness Rz of 0.2 μm or more, thereby obtaining a metal mask sheet.