The method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer includes: a first step of irradiating a surface of a semiconductor wafer with cluster ions containing carbon, phosphorus, and hydrogen as constituent elements to form a modified layer that is located in a surface layer portion of the semiconductor wafer and that contains the constituent elements of the cluster ions as a solid solution; and a second step of forming an epitaxial layer on the modified layer of the semiconductor wafer. The ratio y/x of the number y of the phosphorus atoms with respect to the number x of the carbon atoms satisfies 0.5 or more and 2.0 or less, where the number of atoms of carbon, phosphorus, and hydrogen in the cluster ions is expressed by C.sub.xP.sub.yH.sub.z (x, y, and z are integers each equal to or more than 1).

A method for treating a silicon substrate, and a silicon substrate, provide a surface treated with an accelerated neutral beam.

Techniques herein provide effective smoothing and planarization of various surfaces. Techniques include using multiple particle beams to correct different aspects of a given workpiece. A workpiece needing correction from scratches and roughness is treated with a first particle beam that reduces scratches on a working surface of the workpiece using an inert beam. The workpiece is also treated with a second particle beam that is chemically reactive and reduces step-height values across the working surface of the workpiece, thereby producing a surface with reduced scratches and roughness.

A method includes forming a dielectric layer on a substrate and patterning the dielectric layer to form an opening in the dielectric layer. A first layer of metallic material (e.g., non-nitride metal) is deposited to form a liner layer on an upper surface of the dielectric layer and on exposed surfaces within the opening. A second layer of metallic material (e.g., copper) is deposited to fill the opening with metallic material. An overburden portion of the second layer of metallic material is removed by planarizing the second layer of metallic material down an overburden portion of the liner layer on the upper surface of the dielectric layer. A surface treatment process (e.g., plasma nitridation) is performed to convert the overburden portion of the liner layer into a layer of metal nitride material. The layer of metal nitride material is selectively etched away using a wet etch process.

An apparatus, method and products thereof provide an accelerated neutral beam derived from an accelerated gas cluster ion beam for processing materials.

A method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer is provided. The method includes irradiating a surface of a semiconductor wafer with cluster ions to form a modified layer in a surface portion of the semiconductor wafer, in which the modified layer includes a constituent element of the cluster ions in solid solution. The method further includes forming an epitaxial layer on the modified layer of the semiconductor wafer. The irradiating is performed such that a portion of the modified layer in a thickness direction becomes an amorphous layer, and an average depth of an amorphous layer surface from a semiconductor wafer surface-side of the amorphous layer is at least 20 nm from the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Provided is a method of evaluating the impurity gettering capability of an epitaxial silicon wafer, which allows for very precise evaluation of the impurity gettering behavior of a modified layer formed immediately under an epitaxial layer, the modified layer containing carbon in solid solution. In this method, a modified layer located immediately under an epitaxial layer, the modified layer containing carbon in solid solution, is analyzed by three-dimensional atom probe microscopy, and the impurity gettering capability of the modified layer is evaluated based on a three-dimensional map of carbon in the modified layer, obtained by the analysis.

Provided is a semiconductor epitaxial wafer having metal contamination reduced by achieving higher gettering capability, a method of producing the semiconductor epitaxial wafer, and a method of producing a solid-state image sensing device using the semiconductor epitaxial wafer. The method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer 100 includes a first step of irradiating a semiconductor wafer 10 containing at least one of carbon and nitrogen with cluster ions 16 thereby forming a modifying layer 18 formed from a constituent element of the cluster ions 16 contained as a solid solution, in a surface portion of the semiconductor wafer 10; and a second step of forming a first epitaxial layer 20 on the modifying layer 18 of the semiconductor wafer 10.

A method of processing a trench, via, hole, recess, void, or other feature that extends a depth into a substrate to a base or bottom and has an opening with high aspect ratio (into depth from opening to base or bottom divided by minimum space of the trench therebetween) by irradiation with an accelerated neutral beam derived from an accelerated gas cluster ion beam for processing materials at the base or bottom of the opening.

The present invention provides a method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer, which can suppress metal contamination by achieving higher gettering capability.

The method of producing a semiconductor epitaxial wafer includes a first step of irradiating a surface portion 10A of a semiconductor wafer 10 with cluster ions 16 thereby forming a modifying layer 18 formed from carbon and a dopant element contained as a solid solution that are constituent elements of the cluster ions 16, in the surface portion 10A of the semiconductor wafer; and a second step of forming an epitaxial layer 20 on the modifying layer 18 of the semiconductor wafer, the epitaxial layer 20 having a dopant element concentration lower than the peak concentration of the dopant element in the modifying layer 18.