| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To dry a silicon wafer by removing humidity, remove water molecules from a silicon wafer surface having no oxide film, and simultaneously promote hydrogen termination of silicon atoms, by drying the semiconductor with inert gas that contains hydrogen radicals. SOLUTION: Hydrogen is added to inert gas to generate hydrogen radicals by using a heated metallic catalyzer to promote hydrogen termination after the drying. Usable catalyzer has a catalytic effect for the radical generation, for which nickel, platinum or the like are listed; however more preferable one in terms of the catalytic capability is platinum. In using the metallic catalyzer, its form preferably has as large surface area as possible, and a form of filter is preferable to increase effective contact area between the metallic catalyzer and hydrogen. The gas is required to be heated to approximately a temperature of blowing the wafer. The position of drying the wafer is preferably close to the point where the gas has just been released from the metallic catalyzer, because of short lifetime of the irradiating radicals.
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