In parallel with a lower-side scrub cleaning step where a brush is contacted with a lower surface inclined portion of a substrate, a center-side spray cleaning step is performed where a collision position of liquid droplets with respect to an upper surface of the substrate is moved between the center of the substrate and the middle of the substrate while the liquid droplets collide with the upper surface of the substrate. Thereafter, in parallel with an upper-side scrub cleaning step where the brush is contacted with an upper surface inclined portion of the substrate, an outer circumference-side spray cleaning step is performed where the collision position of the liquid droplets with respect to the upper surface of the substrate is moved between the middle of the substrate and the outer circumference of the substrate while the liquid droplets collide with the upper surface of the substrate.

The invention is directed to a method for removing particulate contaminants from the backside of a wafer or reticle, and to a cleaning substrate for use in such method. In the method of the invention particulate contaminants are removed from the backside of a wafer or reticle with a cleaning substrate. The cleaning substrate comprises protrusions and a tacky layer between the protrusions. The method comprises contacting the backside of the wafer or reticle with the protrusions of the cleaning substrate while maintaining a distance between the wafer or reticle and the tacky layer, the distance being in the range of 1-10 m.

Provided is disclosure for hybrid material post-CMP brushes and methods for forming the same. Embodiments of a hybrid material post-CMP brush may comprise at least two layers, where the hybrid brush is used to clean various surfaces, such as surfaces of semiconductor substrates. An example hybrid brush for cleaning a surface includes a mandrel, a molded first layer formed about the mandrel, where the molded first layer comprises a first material, and a molded second layer surrounding the molded first layer, where the molded second layer comprises a second material.

Disclosed is a substrate treating method for performing cleaning treatment to a substrate by contacting a brush against the substrate. The method includes a rotating step of rotating a spin holder, holding the substrate, around a vertical shaft axis, an outer periphery edge contacting step of contacting the brush against the substrate at an outer periphery edge contacting position closer to an outer periphery edge of the substrate than to the shaft axis while the substrate is rotated in a horizontal plane, a first moving step of moving the brush from the outer periphery edge contacting position to a side adjacent to the shaft axis while the brush is brought into contact against the substrate, and a second moving step of moving the brush from the side adjacent to the shaft axis toward the outer periphery edge after the first moving step.

A substrate cleaning method includes injecting a cluster generating gas from a cluster nozzle into a processing chamber, generating gas clusters by adiabatically expanding the cluster generating gas, and removing particles adhered to a target substrate in the processing chamber by irradiating the gas clusters onto the target substrate. The cluster generating gas is selected based on a product of energy K per molecule or atom of the cluster generating gas that is expressed by the following equation (1) and an index C indicating the ease with which the gas forms clusters that is expressed by the following equation (2), K=1/2mv.sup.2=/1k.sub.BT.sub.0 . . . (1) C=(T.sub.b/T.sub.0).sup./1 . . . (2) where k.sub.B: a Boltzmann constant, : a specific heat ratio of the cluster generating gas, m: a mass of the cluster generating gas, v: a speed of the cluster generating gas, T.sub.0: a gas supply temperature, T.sub.b: a boiling point of the cluster generating gas.

Apparatuses and methods for performing a post-CMP cleaning are provided. The apparatus includes a chamber configured to receive a wafer in need of having CMP residue removed. The apparatus also includes a spray unit configured to apply a first cleaning solution to at least one surface of the wafer. The apparatus further includes a brush cleaner configured to scrub the at least one surface of the wafer. In addition, the apparatus includes at least one inner tank disposed in the chamber for storing a second cleaning solution that is used to clean the brush cleaner.

Apparatuses and methods for performing a post-CMP cleaning are provided. The apparatus includes a chamber configured to receive a wafer in need of having CMP residue removed. The apparatus also includes a spray unit configured to apply a first cleaning solution to at least one surface of the wafer. The apparatus further includes a brush cleaner configured to scrub the at least one surface of the wafer. In addition, the apparatus includes at least one inner tank disposed in the chamber for storing a second cleaning solution that is used to clean the brush cleaner.

In-plane uniformity of buff processing is improved. According to a first form, a buff processing device for executing buff processing of a substrate is provided. Such buff processing device has a rotatable shaft, a buff head body, a torque transmission mechanism for transmitting rotation of the shaft to the buff head body, and an elastic member for elastically supporting the buff head body in a longitudinal direction of the shaft.

An apparatus and method for cleaning semiconductor wafer are provided. The apparatus includes a brush module, a swing arm, a rotating actuator and an elevating actuator. The brush module has a brush head for providing mechanical force on a surface of a wafer. An end of the swing arm mounts the brush module. The rotating actuator is connected with the other end of the swing arm. The rotating actuator drives the swing arm to swing across the whole surface of the wafer, which brings the brush head moving across the whole surface of the wafer. The elevating actuator is connected with the other end of the swing arm. The elevating actuator drives the swing arm to rise or descend, which brings the brush module rising or descending. The apparatus cleans the semi-conductor wafer by means of the brush head, which improves the cleaning effect.

A method for etching a magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) structure is described. A stack of MTJ layers on a bottom electrode on a wafer is provided. A hard mask layer is provided on the MTJ stack. The hard mask layer is patterned to form a hard mask. The MTJ stack is patterned to form a MTJ device wherein sidewall damage is formed on sidewalls of the MTJ device. The sidewall damage is removed by applying a CMP slurry which physically attacks and removes the sidewall damage on the MTJ device.