North Carolina State University

Furman Y Sorrell

Jimmie J Wortman

John R Hauser

Ronald S Gyurcsik

Mark J Fordham

John A Harris

A three zone rapid thermal processing system includes three arrays of radiant heating lamps for heating a semiconductor wafer. The arrays are positioned along the axis of the wafer such that one array is adjacent one face of the wafer, the second array is adjacent the second face of the wafer and the third array is adjacent the edge of the wafer. A wafer holder holds the wafer face transverse to the common axis of the radiant heating lamps. Reflectors at each array reflect radiant heat onto the wafer. The arrays are independently connected to power sources and a controller to provide efficient coupling of the heat sources and a uniform temperature distribution across a wafer.

Three-zone rapid thermal processing system utilizing wafer edge heating

A conical rapid thermal processing system includes a conical thermal radiation reflector and a plurality of elongated radiant heating sources within the conical thermal radiation reflector. The elongated radiant heating sources pass through an imaginary conical surface within the conical thermal radiation reflector. A wafer holder within the imaginary conical surface holds the wafer face transverse to the common axis of the conical reflector and the conically arranged radiant heating lamps. The conical thermal radiation reflector and conically arranged lamps provide uniform radiant heating across the face of a wafer without significantly degrading coupling efficiency.

Conical rapid thermal processing apparatus

A rapid thermal processing system is accurately controlled during a deposition process, in which the emissivity of the substrate material changes as a function of the thickness of the deposited layer, by determining the expected emissivity as a function of time during deposition and applying the expected emissivity to a controller to produce a converted temperature which controls the radiant heat sources of the rapid thermal processing system. In one embodiment, the expected emissivity is used to convert a measured pyrometer temperature into a converted pyrometer temperature. The converted pyrometer temperature is applied to a feedback controller which controls the radiant heaters so that the converted pyrometer temperature equals the desired wafer processing temperature. In another embodiment, the expected emissivity is employed to convert the desired rapid thermal processing temperature into a converted desired rapid thermal processing temperature. The converted desired rapid thermal processing temperature is provided to the controller, which controls the radiant heaters so that the measured pyrometer temperature is equal to the converted desired rapid thermal processing temperature.

Growing community of inventors

Cary, NC, United States of America

Furman Y Sorrell