The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 19, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 03, 1997
Keith W Smith, Boise, ID (US);
Micron Technology, Inc., Boise, ID (US);
Abstract
A tube for use in a thermal processing furnace. The tube comprises an elongated cylindrical tube having an inner surface with a plurality of dimples disposed thereon. In one preferred version of the invention, the dimples are formed as an integral part of the inner surface of the cylindrical tube. In another aspect of the invention, the dimpled furnace tube is incorporated into a thermal processing furnace. In this aspect of the invention, the furnace includes a furnace tube having an inner surface describing an elongated cylindrical heated chamber for receiving and processing a plurality of axially aligned spaced apart semiconductor wafers. The inner surface has a plurality of dimples disposed thereon. The furnace further includes an inlet for introducing reactant and/or inert gases into one end of the cylindrical chamber to flow axially within the chamber by the wafers and an outlet for removing the gases from the cylindrical chamber.