Surface cleaning method of semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat

Abstract

A surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat that can prevent metallic contamination to semiconductor wafers and keep down a production time and manufacturing costs of semiconductor wafers by efficiently and easily removing metallic impurities in an oxide film on an SiC boat surface is provided. A surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat according to an embodiment of the present invention is a surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat whose surface is formed of SiC, includes oxidizing the surface of the heat treatment boat by thermal oxidation and etching a portion of the oxide film formed after oxidation is removed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-262305, filed on Sep. 27, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat, and in particular, relates to a surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat whose surface is made of SiC.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Semiconductor devices such as LSI are formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply called a “wafer”). In a manufacturing process of the semiconductor wafer, a process of heat-treating the wafer at a high temperature is performed in order to form an oxide film on the wafer surface or diffuse impurities.[0004]In such a process of providing heat treatment, a component for holding the wafer during heat treatment, a so-called semi...

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Benefits of technology

[0010]The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and an object thereof is to provide a surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat that can prevent metallic contamination to semiconductor wafers and keep down the production time and manufacturing costs of semiconductor wafers by efficiently and easily removing metallic contamination in an oxide film on the SiC boat surface.

[0012]According to an embodiment of the present invention, metallic contamination to semiconductor wafers is prevented by efficiently and easily removing metallic contamination in an oxide film on the SiC boat surface and, as a result, a surface cleaning method of a semiconductor wafer heat treatment boat that can keep down the production time and manufacturing costs of semiconductor wafers can be provided.

Problems solved by technology

Such a reaction product is unpreferred because it degrades surface smoothness of the wafer and leads to a lower yield of semiconductor devices formed later on the wafer.

However, though reaction products are suppressed, formation of the oxide film has created a new problem that metallic impurities such as Fe supplied by, for example, a source gas of oxidization are incorporated into the oxide film to cause metallic contamination for the wafer.

Thus, periodic additional oxidization treatment is needed, but there arises each time a need to add high-temperature heat treatment to cause metallic contamination to diffuse outwardly.

Therefore, this has led to an increased production time of semiconductor wafer and increased manufacturing costs.

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