Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.

Makoto Abe

Hikaru Kawarazaki

Takahiro Yamada

Kazuhiko Fuse

Hideaki Tanimura

Masashi Furukawa

Jun Watanabe

Shinji Miyawaki

A semiconductor wafer held by a holding part in a chamber is irradiated and heated with halogen light emitted from a plurality of halogen lamps. A cylindrical louver and an annular light-shielding member, both made of opaque quartz, are provided between the halogen lamps and the semiconductor wafer. The outer diameter of the light-shielding member is smaller than the inner diameter of the louver. Light emitted from the halogen lamps and passing through a clearance between the inner wall surface of the louver and the outer circumference of the light-shielding member is applied to a peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer where a temperature drop is likely to occur. On the other hand, light travelling toward an overheat region that has a higher temperature than the other region and appears in the surface of the semiconductor wafer when only a louver is installed is blocked off by the light-shielding member.

Light-irradiation heat treatment apparatus

A ring support is attached to an inner wall surface of a chamber that houses a semiconductor wafer to support a susceptor. When the semiconductor wafer is placed on the susceptor, an inner space of the chamber is separated into an upper space and a lower space. Particles are likely to accumulate on a lower chamber window as a floor part of the chamber. However, since the upper space and the lower space are separated, the semiconductor wafer can be prevented from being contaminated by the particles flowing into the upper space and adhering to a surface of the semiconductor wafer even when the particles on the lower chamber window are blown up by irradiation with flash light.

Light-irradiation thermal treatment apparatus

A semiconductor wafer held by a holder within a chamber is irradiated and heated with halogen light emitted from multiple halogen lamps. Cylindrical outer and inner louvers made of opaque quartz are provided between the halogen lamps and the semiconductor wafer. A reflector is provided in an area of tube walls of the halogen lamps that faces the spacing between the inner wall surface of the outer louver and the outer wall surface of the inner louver. The spacing between the two louvers is located immediately below and faces the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer. Thus, the illuminance of light that reaches the peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer where a temperature drop is likely to occur will be higher than the illuminance of light that travels toward the central portion from the halogen lamps. This configuration will help make uniform the in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer.

A semiconductor wafer held by a holder within a chamber is irradiated and heated with halogen light emitted from multiple halogen lamps. A cylindrical louver made of opaque quartz and a light-shielding member of a ring shape having a cut-out portion are provided between the halogen lamps and the semiconductor wafer. When the semiconductor wafer is heated with the light emitted from the halogen lamps, a shadow region will appear in the semiconductor wafer as a result of the louver blocking off the emitted light. However, in the presence of the cut-out portion of the light-shielding member, the light emitted from the halogen lamps will reach the shadow region through the cut-out portion. This configuration allows the shadow region to be heated in the same manner as the other regions, and accordingly will help make uniform the in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer during light irradiation heating.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Makoto Abe