Patent ID: 8597732

Claim:
A thin film deposition method comprising: a step for supplying a gas whose water concentration has been controlled to become smaller than 1 PPB, and whose oxygen partial pressure has been controlled to become lower than 10 −21 atm by a water/oxygen molecule discharging apparatus into the interior of a reaction chamber and carrying out a dehydration/deoxidation process in the interior of said reaction chamber so as to control water vapor partial pressure to become lower than 10 −10 atm; a step for depositing a metal film on a substrate by supplying a carrier gas or a plasma excitation gas whose water concentration has been controlled to become smaller than 1 PPB and whose oxygen partial pressure has been controlled to become lower than 10 −21 atm into the interior of said reaction chamber; and a step for forming an insulating film on the wafer by oxidizing the metal film in a low-oxygen atmosphere whose oxygen partial pressure has been controlled to become lower than 10 −20 atm.