Cleaning agent composition, method for cleaning and use thereof

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a new cleaning agent composition having excellent cleaning power for the surface contamination of a semiconductor wafer or various precisely worked instruments made of glass or ceramic, which is used in the manufacture of wafer; a method for cleaning a wafer; a semiconductor wafer having a surface cleaned by a cleaning method; and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer. A semiconductor wafer is cleaned using a cleaning agent composition including a specific fluorine-containing anionic surfactant, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and/or an alkanolamine.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A cleaning agent composition comprising (A) from 0.0001 to 5 mass % of a fluorine-containing anionic surfactant and at least one of (B) from 0.001 to 30 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and (C) from 0.01 to 20 mass % of an alkanolamine.  
     
     
         2 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing anionic surfactant is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of (i) carboxylic acids or salts thereof represented by the following formula (1):  
       R 1 COOM  (1)  
       wherein R 1  represents a linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, with a part or all of hydrogen atoms being substituted by fluorine atom, and M represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group, an alkylammnonium group or an alkanolammonium group, (ii) sulfonic acids or salts thereof represented by the following formula (2):  
       R 2 SO 3 M  (2)  
       wherein R 2  represents a linear or branched alkyl group or alkenyl group having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, with a part or all of hydrogen atoms being substituted by fluorine atom, and M has the same meaning as defined above.  
     
     
         3 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing anionic surfactant is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of perfluorocaprylic acid, perfluorocapric acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and salts thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the quaternary ammonium hydroxide is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following formula (3):  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 , which may be the same or different, each independently represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or a hydroxyalkyl group.  
     
     
         5 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the quaternary ammonium hydroxide is tetramethylammonium hydroxide.  
     
     
         6 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the alkanolamine is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by the following formula (4):  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 7  represents a hydroxyalkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R 8  and R 9 , which may be the same or different, each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an aminoalkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R 8  and R 9  may combine to represent an alkylene group having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms, which may be interrupted by an oxygen atom or a nitrogen atom.  
     
     
         7 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the alkanolamine is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine and triethanolamine.  
     
     
         8 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , which contains from 0.0001 to 5 mass % of a nonionic surfactant.  
     
     
         9 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the nonionic surfactant is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of (i) polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether compounds represented by the following formula (5):  
       R 10 —O—(R 11 —O) p —H  (5)  
       wherein R 10  represents an alkyl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, R 11  represents an alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and p represents an integer of 3 to 20, (ii) polyoxyalkylene aryl ether compounds represented by the following formula (6):  
       R 12 C 6 H —O—(R 13 —O) q —H  (6)  
       wherein R 12  represents an alkyl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, R 13  represents an alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and q represents an integer of 3 to 20, and (iii) polyoxyalkylene alkyl ester compounds represented by the following formula (7):  
       R 14 COO—(R 15 —O) r H  (7)  
       wherein R 14  represents an alkyl group having from 9 to 16 carbon atoms, R 15  represents an alkylene group having from 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and r represents an integer of 6 to 16.  
     
     
         10 . The cleaning agent composition as claimed in  claim 1 , which contains from 0.01 to 20 mass % of hydrogen peroxide.  
     
     
         11 . A method for cleaning a semiconductor wafer, comprising the following cleaning steps: 
 (1) cleaning using the cleaning agent composition described in any one of  claims 1  to  10 ; and    (2) cleaning using a cleaning agent containing ammonia and hydrogen peroxide.    
     
     
         12 . The method for cleaning a semiconductor wafer as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein in the cleaning step (1), the semiconductor wafer surface is degreased and particles thereon are removed.  
     
     
         13 . The method for cleaning a semiconductor wafer as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein in the cleaning step (2), particles on the semiconductor wafer surface are removed.  
     
     
         14 . A semiconductor wafer comprising a surface cleaned by a cleaning method, comprising the following cleaning steps: 
 (1) cleaning using a cleaning agent composition comprising (A) from 0.0001 to 5 mass % of a fluorine-containing anionic surfactant and at least one of (B) from 0.001 to 30 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and (C) from 0.01 to 20 mass % of an alkanolamine; and    (2) cleaning using a cleaning agent containing an ammonia and a hydrogen peroxide.    
     
     
         15 . The semiconductor wafer as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein a number of particles of 0.2 μm or more adhering to the semiconductor wafer surface is 100 or less.  
     
     
         16 . The semiconductor wafer as claimed in claims  14  or  15 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is a silicon wafer, a gallium phosphide wafer, a gallium arsenide wafer or an indium phosphide wafer.  
     
     
         17 . The semiconductor wafer as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is a silicon wafer and a surface roughness (Ra) thereof is 0.2 nm or less.  
     
     
         18 . The semiconductor wafer as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the semiconductor wafer is a gallium arsenide wafer and a surface roughness (Ra) thereof is 0.4 nm or less.  
     
     
         19 . A method for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer, comprising the following steps: 
 (1) lapping the wafer surface;    (2) specularly polishing the wafer surface; and    (3) cleaning using the cleaning agent composition described in any one of  claims 1  to  10  and cleaning using a cleaning agent containing ammonia and hydrogen peroxide.