Back to results
US 6,191,051 B1Granted
Wafer storing system having vessel coated with ozone-proof material and method of storing semiconductor wafer
AssigneeNEC Corporation
InventorYuji Shimizu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gate oxide layer grown on a semiconductor wafer is liable to be contaminated by organic compound particles in a clean room between the growth of the oxide and the next deposition step, and the semiconductor wafer is sealed in ozonic ambience in a vessel coated with an inner wall of ozone-proof material such as chromium oxide so that the ozone decomposes the organic compound particles without producing new particles.
Claims8
A method of processing at least one semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps:
- (a) forming an oxide layer on a surface of said at least one semiconductor wafer;
- (b) providing a vessel having an inner wall formed of ozone-proof material and defining an air-tight chamber;
- (c) placing said at least one semiconductor wafer with said oxide layer in said air-tight chamber;
- (d) sealing said at least one semiconductor wafer with said oxide layer in said air-tight chamber;
- (e) creating an ozonic atmosphere in said air-tight chamber;
- (f) maintaining said at least one semiconductor wafer with said oxide layer in said ozonated atmosphere in said chamber for a selected time period;
- (g) terminating containment of said wafer in said ozonic atmosphere after said time period;
- and
- (h) depositing a conductive layer on said oxide layer on said at least one semiconductor wafer.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.