Provided is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor silicon wafer capable of inhibiting P-aggregation defects (Si-P defects) and SF in an epitaxial layer. The method includes a step of forming a silicon oxide film with a thickness of at least 300 nm or thicker only on the backside of the silicon wafer substrate by the CVD method at a temperature of 500° C. or lower after the step of forming the silicon oxide film, a step of heat treatment where the substrate is kept in an oxidizing atmosphere at a constant temperature of 1100° C. or higher and 1250° C. or lower for 30 minutes or longer and 120 minutes or shorter after the heat treatment, a step of removing surface oxide film formed on the front surface of the substrate, and a step of depositing a silicon monocrystalline epitaxial layer on the substrate after the step of removing the surface oxide film.

A method of cleaning a conducting film containing tin oxide from an insulating surface of an item for use in electroplating applications, comprises the steps of immersing the item in a cleaning fluid and irradiating the immersed item with light of wavelength in the range 100 nm-450 nm.

Provided is a substrate holder and a substrate treatment apparatus capable of positioning a substrate even in a case in which the substrate receives a frictional force and the like from a support surface. A substrate holder 200 according to the present invention includes: a first holding member 300; a second holding member 500 adapted to pinch a substrate W with the first holding member 300; three or more positioning members 360 including contact surfaces 342 that come into contact with side end portions of the substrate W; a first moving member 380 including a plurality of engaging portions 384 that are engaged with the positioning members 360 such that the positioning members 360 with a state in which distances of an ideal axis L and contact surfaces 376 of the positioning members 360 are equal to each other maintained; and a first biasing member 310 adapted to bias the first moving member 380, in which the first moving member 380 delivers a biasing force of the first biasing member 310 to each of the positioning members 360, and the positioning members 360 are biased in a direction in which the contact surfaces 376 approaches the ideal axis L with the delivered biasing force.

An apparatus for forming a film on a substrate includes: a processing container in which a reaction gas is supplied to a surface of the substrate; a stage installed in the processing container, configured to place the substrate and including a heater; a lifting shaft connected to an external lifting mechanism via a through port formed in the processing container; a casing installed between the processing container and the lifting mechanism and covering the lifting shaft; a lid member disposed to surround the lifting shaft with a gap interposed between the lifting shaft and the lid member, and installed in the processing container; a purge gas supplier configured to supply a purge gas into the casing; and a guide member disposed at a position facing the gap that opens toward an interior of the processing container and including a guide surface configured to guide the purge gas.

A wafer carrier assembly as described herein improves thermal control across a top surface thereof to maintain highly controlled deposition locations and thicknesses.

A novel deposition method of a metal oxide is provided. The deposition method includes a first step of supplying a first precursor to a chamber; a second step of supplying a second precursor to the chamber; a third step of supplying a third precursor to the chamber; and a fourth step of introducing an oxidizer into the chamber after the first step, the second step, and the third step. The first to third precursors are different kinds of precursors, and a substrate placed in the chamber in the first to fourth steps is heated to a temperature higher than or equal to 300° C. and lower than or equal to decomposition temperatures of the first to third precursors.

Provided is a dry etching apparatus including: a plasma process chamber; an edge ring which is arranged in the plasma process chamber and on which a wafer is mounted; a shadow ring positioned to be spaced apart by a first vertical distance above the edge ring during a plasma etching process of the wafer; an operation unit coupled to the shadow ring and having a lift pin that raises and lowers the shadow ring; a fixing portion having a plurality of fixing pins engaged with the lift pin at different positions to fix a lowering point of the shadow ring; and a distance control unit that controls the fixing portion to determine the first vertical distance, wherein the first vertical distance is determined by a first horizontal distance between the wafer and the edge ring.

A determination is made of a real-time azimuthal position of a notch alignment feature located on a support surface of a substrate holder relative to a fixed reference ray extending perpendicularly away from a rotational axis of the substrate holder as the substrate holder rotates about the rotational axis. A determination is made of an approach initiation azimuthal position of the notch alignment feature relative to the fixed reference ray at which vertical movement of the substrate holder should initiate in order to have the notch alignment feature located at a prescribed azimuthal position relative to the fixed reference ray when the substrate holder reaches a prescribed vertical position. A determination is made of a time delay required to have the notch alignment feature located at the approach initiation azimuthal position. Vertical movement of the substrate holder is initiated in accordance with the determined time delay.

A film forming apparatus including, mist-forming unit that turns raw material solution into mist and generates mist, pipe connected to mist-forming unit and transfers carrier gas containing mist, at least one pipe for transferring additive fluid containing one or more types of gas as a main component to be mixed with carrier gas containing mist, pipe that is connected to film forming unit and transfers mixed mist fluid that is mixture of carrier gas containing mist and additive fluid, connecting member connecting pipe for transferring carrier gas containing mist, the pipe for transferring additive fluid, and the pipe for transferring mixed mist fluid, a film forming unit that heat-treats the mist to form a film on a substrate, wherein an angle between the pipe for transferring the additive fluid and the pipe for transferring the mixed mist fluid, which are connected by the connecting member, is 120 degrees or more.

A method of processing a semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes introducing the wafer to a main chamber via a loading port, using a transfer mechanism to transfer the wafer to a first wafer processing module in a stack so that the wafer is disposed substantially horizontally in the first wafer processing module with a front face facing upwards, and performing a processing step on the front face of the wafer in the first wafer processing module.