In this study, the cleaning efficiency of various chemical solutions for noble metals such as Cu, Ag, and Au on Si wafer surfaces is investigated and the cleaning mechanism is interpreted based on the result and the metal adsorption mechanism. Cu adsorption behavior can be interpreted by both electrochemical metal particle deposition and inclusion in the metal-induced oxide grown during contamination in solution. Based on the Cu deposition mechanism. the required characteristics of a cleaning solution for removal of Cu on Si wafer surfaces are the dissolution of Cu, etching ability for both Si and SiO2, and surface passivation with SiO2 or surfactant for preventing the readhesion of dissolved Cu ions. Ag adsorption behavior is interpreted only by the electrochemical metal particle deposition and not by film inclusion. Thr oxide formation enthalpy of Ag is so high that Ag cannot be removed by just the dissolution process of the cleaning solution, which has a higher redox potential than that of Ag. In contrast, the Au adsorption mechanism can be described as an atomic Au precipitation on hydrophobic Si surfaces with a strong electrostatic force. It is very difficult to remove Au on Si wafer surfaces by wet cleaning technology and it is suggested that Au contamination unintentionally induced during processing be removed by a gettering process. As a result, it was concluded that the metal deposition behavior and the removal mechanisms for Cu, Ag, and Au in a solution are partly similar but fundamentally different, even though Cu, Ag, and Au are categorized in the same noble metal group which depends on their redox potential, electronegativity, and formation enthalpy of metal-oxide.