Abstract: A reflector plate assembly for processing a substrate includes a reflector plate having a first surface, wherein the first surface is a bare polished surface, a reflector disk embedded within the reflector plate from the first surface, a coating layer on the reflector disk, and a pyrometer disposed through an opening of the reflector disk.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for conducting a radical treatment operation on a substrate prior to conducting an annealing operation on the substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing semiconductor substrates includes pre-heating a substrate, and exposing the substrate to species radicals. The exposing of the substrate to the species radicals includes a treatment temperature that is less than 300 degrees Celsius, a treatment pressure that is less than 1.0 Torr, and a treatment time that is within a range of 8.0 minutes to 12.0 minutes. The method includes annealing the substrate after the exposing of the substrate to the species radicals. The annealing includes exposing the substrate to molecules, an anneal temperature that is 300 degrees Celsius or greater, an anneal pressure that is within a range of 500 Torr to 550 Torr, and an anneal time that is less than 4.0 minutes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus, systems and methods for managing organic compounds in thermal processing chambers. A gas line can be in fluid communication with the thermal processing chamber and an exhaust pump can be coupled to the thermal processing chamber by an exhaust conduit and controlled by an effluent flow control valve. The apparatus includes a sampling line with an organic compound sensor coupled to the exhaust conduit. The organic compound sensor can be in communication with a control module which can control operating parameters for processing a substrate.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include a method of modeling a rapid thermal processing (RTP) tool. In an embodiment, the method comprises developing a lamp model of an RTP tool, wherein the lamp model comprises a plurality of lamp zones, calculating an irradiance graph for the plurality of lamp zones, multiplying irradiance values of the plurality of lamp zones in the irradiance graph by a power of an existing RTP tool at a given time during a process recipe, summing the multiplied irradiance values for the plurality of lamp zones to form an irradiation graph of the lamp model, using the irradiation graph as an input to a machine learning algorithm, and outputting the temperature across a hypothetical substrate from the machine learning algorithm.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to heating a substrate in a rapid thermal processing (RTP) chamber. The chamber may contain a rotatable assembly configured to accommodate and rotate the substrate while a heat source inside the RTP chamber applies heat to the substrate. The rotatable assembly is partially disposed outside the RTP chamber. A seal may formed around the rotatable assembly and maintain a vacuum inside the RTP chamber while the rotatable assembly rotates. The rotatable assembly may configured to accommodate various-sized substrates.

Abstract: Implementations described herein relate to pressure control for vacuum chuck substrate supports. In one implementation, a process chamber defines a process volume and a vacuum chuck support is disposed within the process volume. A pressure controller is disposed on a fluid flow path upstream from the vacuum chuck and a flow restrictor is disposed on the fluid flow path downstream from the vacuum chuck. Each of the pressure controller and flow restrictor are in fluid communication with a control volume of the vacuum chuck.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a temperature of an assembly that is internal to a process chamber. The apparatus may include a light pipe positioned between a lamp radiation filtering window and the assembly, the light pipe has a first end with a bevel configured to redirect infrared radiation emitted from the assembly through the light pipe and has a second end distal to the first end, an optical assembly configured to collimate, filter, and focus infrared radiation from the second end of the light pipe, an optical detector configured to receive an output from the optical assembly and generate at least one signal representative of the infrared radiation, a temperature circuit that transforms the at least one signal into a temperature value, and a controller that is configured to receive the temperature value and to make adjustments to other process parameters of process chamber based on the temperature value.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for conducting a radical treatment operation on a substrate prior to conducting an annealing operation on the substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing semiconductor substrates includes pre-heating a substrate, and exposing the substrate to species radicals. The exposing of the substrate to the species radicals includes a treatment temperature that is less than 300 degrees Celsius, a treatment pressure that is less than 1.0 Torr, and a treatment time that is within a range of 8.0 minutes to 12.0 minutes. The method includes annealing the substrate after the exposing of the substrate to the species radicals. The annealing includes exposing the substrate to molecules, an anneal temperature that is 300 degrees Celsius or greater, an anneal pressure that is within a range of 500 Torr to 550 Torr, and an anneal time that is less than 4.0 minutes.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus provide for optically monitoring individual lamps of substrate processing chambers. In one aspect, the individual lamps are monitored to determine if one or more lamps are in need of replacement. A method includes using one or more camera coupled to a borescope to capture a plurality of images of one or more lamps in a substrate processing chamber. The plurality of images is analyzed to identify a change of mean light pixel intensity in an image reference region associated with each lamp. The method includes generating an alert based on the detection of the mean light pixel intensity change.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus provide for optically monitoring individual lamps of substrate processing chambers. In one aspect, the individual lamps are monitored to determine if one or more lamps are in need of replacement. A method includes using one or more camera coupled to a borescope to capture a plurality of images of one or more lamps in a substrate processing chamber. The plurality of images is analyzed to identify a change of mean light pixel intensity in an image reference region associated with each lamp. The method includes generating an alert based on the detection of the mean light pixel intensity change.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a temperature of an assembly that is internal to a process chamber. The apparatus may include a light pipe positioned between a lamp radiation filtering window and the assembly, the light pipe has a first end with a bevel configured to redirect infrared radiation emitted from the assembly through the light pipe and has a second end distal to the first end, an optical assembly configured to collimate, filter, and focus infrared radiation from the second end of the light pipe, an optical detector configured to receive an output from the optical assembly and generate at least one signal representative of the infrared radiation, a temperature circuit that transforms the at least one signal into a temperature value, and a controller that is configured to receive the temperature value and to make adjustments to other process parameters of process chamber based on the temperature value.

Abstract: Implementations described herein provide for thermal substrate processing apparatus including two thermal process chambers, each defining a process volume, and a substrate support disposed within each process volume. One or more remote plasma sources may be in fluid communication with the process volumes and the remote plasma sources may be configured to deliver a plasma to the process volumes. Various arrangements of remote plasma sources and chambers are described.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a temperature of an assembly that is internal to a process chamber. The apparatus may include a light pipe positioned between a lamp radiation filtering window and the assembly, the light pipe has a first end with a bevel configured to redirect infrared radiation emitted from the assembly through the light pipe and has a second end distal to the first end, an optical assembly configured to collimate, filter, and focus infrared radiation from the second end of the light pipe, an optical detector configured to receive an output from the optical assembly and generate at least one signal representative of the infrared radiation, a temperature circuit that transforms the at least one signal into a temperature value, and a controller that is configured to receive the temperature value and to make adjustments to other process parameters of process chamber based on the temperature value.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus, systems and methods for managing organic compounds in thermal processing chambers. A gas line can be in fluid communication with the thermal processing chamber and an exhaust pump can be coupled to the thermal processing chamber by an exhaust conduit and controlled by an effluent flow control valve. The apparatus includes a sampling line with an organic compound sensor coupled to the exhaust conduit. The organic compound sensor can be in communication with a control module which can control operating parameters for processing a substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a temperature of an assembly that is internal to a process chamber. The apparatus may include a light pipe positioned between a lamp radiation filtering window and the assembly, the light pipe has a first end with a bevel configured to redirect infrared radiation emitted from the assembly through the light pipe and has a second end distal to the first end, an optical assembly configured to collimate, filter, and focus infrared radiation from the second end of the light pipe, an optical detector configured to receive an output from the optical assembly and generate at least one signal representative of the infrared radiation, a temperature circuit that transforms the at least one signal into a temperature value, and a controller that is configured to receive the temperature value and to make adjustments to other process parameters of process chamber based on the temperature value.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Implementations described herein provide for thermal substrate processing apparatus including two thermal process chambers, each defining a process volume, and a substrate support disposed within each process volume. One or more remote plasma sources may be in fluid communication with the process volumes and the remote plasma sources may be configured to deliver a plasma to the process volumes. Various arrangements of remote plasma sources and chambers are described.

Abstract: Implementations described herein provide for thermal substrate processing apparatus including two thermal process chambers, each defining a process volume, and a substrate support disposed within each process volume. One or more remote plasma sources may be in fluid communication with the process volumes and the remote plasma sources may be configured to deliver a plasma to the process volumes. Various arrangements of remote plasma sources and chambers are described.

Abstract: A semiconductor processing apparatus is described that has a body with a wall defining two processing chambers within the body; a passage through the wall forming a fluid coupling between the two processing chambers; a lid removably coupled to the body, the lid having a portal in fluid communication with the passage; a gas activator coupled to the lid outside the processing chambers, the gas activator having an outlet in fluid communication with the portal of the lid; a substrate support disposed in each processing chamber, each substrate support having at least two heating zones, each with an embedded heating element; a gas distributor coupled to the lid facing each substrate support; and a thermal control member coupled to the lid at an edge of each gas distributor.

Abstract: 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.