Fujitsu Corporation

Rinji Sugino

Yasuhisa Sato

Masaki Okuno

A native oxide film is formed on the surface of a silicon substrate. The native oxide film has at least island-shaped imperfect SiO.sub.2 regions not formed with a perfect SiO.sub.2 film. Before the native oxide film is formed, a mask layer having a necessary opening is formed over the silicon substrate, according to necessity. The silicon substrate is etched in a vapor phase via the imperfect SiO.sub.2 regions of the native oxide film to form a hollow under the native oxide film at least at a partial region thereof. An upper film is formed on the native oxide film to cover and close the imperfect SiO.sub.2 regions. In this manner, a minute hollow can be formed in the silicon substrate with good controllability.

Micro-machining minute hollow using native oxide membrane

A dry cleaning method for removing metal contaminants from a surface of an oxide film such that no substantial etching of the oxide film occurs, includes the steps of supplying a halide gas containing an element that is selected from the group IIIa elements, group IVa elements and the group Va elements in a form of halide, to the oxide film, thereby dry cleaning the surface of the oxide film.

Dry cleaning process for cleaning a surface

A dry cleaning process for removing metal contaminants from a surface of an oxide film includes the steps of: forming a reaction area on the oxide film such that a silicon surface is formed in correspondence to the reaction area, supplying a dry cleaning gas selected from a group essentially consisting of chlorine, bromine, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide and a mixture thereof, to the oxide film including the reaction area, to produce silicon halide molecules as a result of a reaction between the dry cleaning gas and the silicon surface, supplying the silicon halide molecules to a surface of the oxide film, and removing metal elements existing on the surface of the oxide film as a result of a reaction between the metal element and the dry cleaning gas under a presence of the silicon halide molecules.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Rinji Sugino