Evaluation method of metal contamination

A method of evaluating metal contamination by measuring an amount of metal contaminants transferred to a silicon wafer in a rapid thermal processing apparatus, comprising steps of:

• obtaining a silicon single crystal grown by the Czochralski method at a pulling rate of 1.0 mm/min or lower, the crystal having an oxygen concentration of 1.3×1018 atoms/cm3 or less;
• slicing silicon wafers from the silicon single crystal except a region of 40 mm toward a central portion from a head of the single crystal and a region of 40 mm toward the central portion from a tail;
• thermally transferring contaminants from members of a furnace to the silicon wafer by holding the silicon wafer at a temperature of not less than 1100° C. and not more than the melting point of silicon for 1 s to 60 s in an oxidizing gas atmosphere and then cooling down at a rate of 5° C./s to 150° C./s to form an oxide film having a thickness of 2 nm or more on the silicon wafer;
• and
• measuring a lifetime of the silicon wafer to which contaminants are transferred.