Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Yong-joon Cho

Gyu-hwan Kwag

Young-hwan Yun

Seung-kun Lee

Young-hee Kim

Doo-heun Baek

A gate is formed on a device formation region of a semiconductor substrate, and source and drain regions are formed in the device formation region of the semiconductor substrate adjacent respective sides of the gate. The gate is formed to include a gate dielectric layer, a gate conductive layer and sidewall spacers located at respective sidewalls of the gate conductive layer. An etch stop layer is formed over the source region, the drain region and the sidewall spacers of the gate to obtain an intermediate structure, and a planarized first interlayer insulating film is formed over a surface of the intermediate structure. The first insulating layer is dry etched until the etch stop layer over the source region, the drain region and the sidewall spacers is exposed to form self-aligned contact holes in the first interlayer insulating over the source region and the drain region, respectively. The etch stop layer is then wet etched to remove the etch stop layer over the source region, the drain region and the sidewall spacers, and respective contact pads are formed by filling the self-aligned contact holes with conductive polysilicon.

Method of forming a contact in a semiconductor device

A semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus and method uses only one inner bath for chemical solution and de-ionized water cleaning, and includes a marangoni dryer for cleaning and drying semiconductor wafers. The apparatus includes a loading unit loaded with a cassette holding wafers; a moving mechanism for extracting the wafers from the cassette and moving the wafers into a loader; an inner bath for cleaning the wafers with a chemical solution or de-ionized water; a marangoni dryer including a hood, for moving the wafers from the loader into the bath, to be sealed to the bath; and a knife for supporting the wafers loaded into the bath at a lower portion thereof and moving the wafers up and down. Since the marangoni dryer is adhered to the bath during drying, the wafers are not affected by laminar flow or exhaustion and water marks do not occur thereon.

Semiconductor wafer cleaning apparatus and method of using the same

A wafer dryer for drying a wafer includes a chamber and a support adapted to support the wafer in the chamber. A spray nozzle is disposed in the chamber. A source gas supply tank is in fluid communication with the spray nozzle. At least one heater is operable to heat the chamber and the source gas supply tank. A pumping line is in fluid communication with the chamber. Drive means are operable to rotate the chamber and the spray nozzle. A method for drying a wafer using a wafer dryer including a chamber and a revolving spray nozzle includes the steps of: loading the wafer in the chamber; reducing the pressure in the chamber in which the wafer is loaded to a near vacuum state; creating a temperature controlled atmosphere in the pressure-reduced chamber to quicken drying of the wafer; and spraying the source gas on the wafer while rotating the chamber and the revolving spray nozzle in opposite directions in the pressure-reduced temperature controlled atmosphere.

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Seoul, South Korea

Yong-joon Cho