Provided are a removal liquid for removing an oxide of a Group III-V element, an oxidation prevention liquid for preventing the oxidation of an oxide of a Group III-V element or a treatment liquid for treating an oxide of a Group III-V element, each liquid including an acid and a mercapto compound; and a method using each of the same liquids. Further provided are a treatment liquid for treating a semiconductor substrate, including an acid and a mercapto compound, and a method for producing a semiconductor substrate product using the same.

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.

A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of holding a substrate having a front surface on which a metal is exposed, an inert gas replacing step of replacing an atmosphere around the front surface of the substrate with an inert gas by supplying an inert gas to a vicinity of the front surface of the substrate, an adjusting step of adjusting a pH of the rinsing liquid so as to form an inactive state in which the metal does not react with the rinsing liquid or so as to form a passive state by allowing the metal to react with the rinsing liquid, and a rinsing liquid supplying step of supplying the rinsing liquid whose pH has been adjusted to the front surface of the substrate after the atmosphere around the front surface of the substrate has been replaced with the inert gas.

Provided is a chemical-mechanical polishing composition including an abrasive, a basic component, a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether represented by the formula (i) RO-(AO).sub.n—H, wherein R is a linear or branched C.sub.1 to C.sub.15 alkyl group, A is an alkylene group selected from the group consisting of an ethylene group, a propylene group, and a combination thereof, and n represents average addition mol numbers of AO and is 2 to 30, and an aqueous carrier, a rinse composition including the polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether and an aqueous carrier, and a substrate chemical-mechanical polishing method and a rinsing method in which these are used.

The present invention provides a high temperature chemical solution supply system for cleaning substrates. The system includes a solution tank, a buffer tank, a first pump and a second pump. The solution tank contains high temperature chemical solution. The buffer tank has a tank body, a vent line and a needle valve. The tank body contains the high temperature chemical solution. An end of the vent line connects to the tank body, and the other end of the vent line connects to the solution tank. The needle valve is mounted on the vent line, wherein the needle valve is adjusted to reach a flow rate to vent gas bubbles inside of the high temperature chemical solution out of the buffer tank through the vent line. An inlet of the first pump connects to the solution tank, and an outlet of the first pump connects to the buffer tank. An inlet of the second pump connects to the buffer tank, and an outlet of the second pump connects to a cleaning chamber in which a substrate is cleaned. The present invention also provides an apparatus including the high temperature chemical solution supply system and an ultra or mega sonic device for cleaning the substrate. The present invention also provides methods for cleaning the substrates.

A semiconductor wafer has a base material. The semiconductor wafer may have an edge support ring. A grinding phase of a surface of the semiconductor wafer removes a portion of the base material. The grinder is removed from or lifted off the surface of the semiconductor wafer during a separation phase. The surface of the semiconductor wafer and under the grinder is rinsed during the grinding phase and separation phase to remove particles. A rinsing solution is dispensed from a rinsing solution source to rinse the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The rinsing solution source can move in position while dispensing the rinsing solution to rinse the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The grinding phase and separation phase are repeated during the entire grinding operation, when grinding conductive TSVs, or during the final grinding stages, until the final thickness of the semiconductor wafer is achieved.

A monocrystalline semiconductor wafers have an average roughness R.sub.a of at most 0.8 nm at a limiting wavelength of 250 μm, and an ESFQR.sub.avg of 8 nm or less given an edge exclusion of 1 mm. The wafers are advantageously produced by a method comprising the following steps in the indicated order: a) simultaneous double-side polishing of the semiconductor wafer, b) local material-removing processing of at least one part of at least one side of the semiconductor wafer using a fluid jet which contains suspended hard substance particles and which is directed onto a small region of the surface with the aid of a nozzle, wherein the nozzle is moved over that part of the surface which is to be treated in such a way that a predefined geometry parameter of the semiconductor wafer is improved, and c) polishing of the at least one surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatuses for epitaxial deposition on substrate surfaces. More particularly, implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatuses for surface preparation prior to epitaxial deposition. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate is provided. The method comprises etching a surface of a silicon-containing substrate by use of a plasma etch process, where at least one etching process gas comprising chlorine gas and an inert gas is used during the plasma etch process and forming an epitaxial layer on the surface of the silicon-containing substrate.

A substrate cleaning method includes a processing liquid supplying step which supplies a processing liquid that contains a solute and a volatile solvent to an upper surface of a substrate, a film forming step in which the solvent is at least partially volatilized from the processing liquid and solidified or hardened to forma particle holding layer on the upper surface of the substrate, and a removal step in which a peeling liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate to peel and remove the particle holding layer. A solute composition in the solute is insoluble in the peeling liquid before being heated to a temperature equal/higher than a quality-changing temperature to become soluble in the peeling liquid. During film forming, the processing liquid is heated to a temperature below the quality-changing temperature, to form the particle holding layer, without changing the quality of the solute composition. A residue removal step that removes a residue removing liquid which dissolves before being heated to a temperature equal/higher than the quality-changing temperature is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate, to remove residues that remain.

A cleaning process monitoring system, comprising: a cleaning container comprising an inlet for receiving a cleaning solution and an outlet for draining a waste solution; a particle detector coupled to the outlet and configured to measure a plurality of particle parameters associated with the waste solution so as to provide a real-time monitoring of the cleaning process; a pump coupled to the cleaning container and configured to provide suction force to draw solution through the cleaning system; a controller coupled to the pump and the particle detector and configured to receive the plurality of particle parameters from the particle detector and to provide control to the cleaning system; and a host computer coupled to the controller and configured to provide at least one control parameter to the controller.