Applied Materials, Inc.

Michael Liu

Norman L Tam

Leonid Mark Tertitski

Aaron Jacob Miller

Stephen Moffatt

Lara Hawrylchak

Wolfgang R Aderhold

Samuel C Howells

Dongming Iu

Kim Ramkumar Vellore

Ji-Dih Hu

Dinesh Kanawade

Colin Fox

Mehran Behdjat

Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.

Thermal processing chamber with low temperature control

Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one example, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.

Thermal cooling member with low temperature control

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatus for visual lamp failure detection in a processing chamber, such as an RTP chamber. Visual feedback is facilitated through the use of a wide-angle lens positioned to view lamps within the process chamber. The wide-angle lens is positioned within a probe and secured using a spring in order to withstand high temperature processing. A camera coupled to the lens is adapted to capture an image of the lamps within the process chamber. The captured image of the lamps is then compared to a reference image to determine if the lamps are functioning as desired.

Visual feedback for process control in RTP chambers

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cover assembly that includes a cover disposed between a device side surface of a substrate and a reflector plate, which are disposed within a thermal processing chamber. The presence of the cover between the device side surface of a substrate and a reflector plate has many advantages over conventional thermal processing chamber designs, which include an improved temperature uniformity during processing, a reduced chamber down time and an improved cost-of-ownership of the processes performed in the thermal processing chamber. In some configurations, the cover includes two or more ports that are formed therein and are positioned to deliver a gas, from a space formed between the reflector plate and the cover, to desired regions of the substrate during processing to reduce the temperature variation across the substrate.

Apparatus for reducing the effect of contamination on a rapid thermal process

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Michael Liu