Patent ID: 7955440

Claim:
A method of cleaning a silicon wafer comprising: forming a water film by vacuum-suctioning a silicon wafer to a turntable provided in a sealed chamber and supplying water to a front surface of the silicon wafer; forming a silicon oxide film on the front surface of the silicon wafer subsequent to the forming of the water film by stopping the supply of water, supplying an oxidation gas to the chamber, and dissolving the oxidation gas in the water film; introducing gas subsequent to the forming of the silicon oxide film by stopping the supply of the oxidation gas, and either separately or concurrently supplying an organic acid mist and an HF gas to the chamber, negatively charging metal impurities and microparticles existing in the silicon oxide film, and dissolving the silicon oxide film in the water film; discharging the water film in which the silicon oxide film is dissolved from the surface of the silicon wafer on which the water film is formed subsequent to the introduction of the gas, by stopping the supply of the HF gas, supplying the organic acid mist to the chamber, and rotating the turntable; and forming a protection film subsequent to the discharging, by stopping the supply of the organic acid mist, supplying water to the chamber to form a water film again on the front surface of the silicon wafer, subsequently stopping the supply of water and supplying an oxidation gas to the chamber to dissolve a component of the oxidation gas in the water film, and forming a silicon oxide film on the front surface of the silicon wafer.