Abstract: A gate electrode made of polysilicon is formed on a surface of a semiconductor wafer for manufacture of a field effect transistor. The polysilicon is implanted with a dopant. Flash irradiation from flash lamps is performed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer immediately after the temperature of the semiconductor wafer reaches a preheating temperature due to irradiation with light from halogen lamps, and the halogen lamps are turned off immediately after the flash irradiation. The surface of the semiconductor wafer including the gate electrode of polysilicon is heated to the preheating temperature or above for a short time period, so that grain growth of the polysilicon is restrained. As a result, this restrains crystal grain boundaries of the polysilicon from decreasing to sufficiently allow the dopant to diffuse by way of the grain boundaries, thereby achieving a reduction in resistance of the polysilicon.

Abstract: Hydrogen annealing for heating a semiconductor wafer on which a thin film containing a dopant is deposited to an annealing temperature under an atmosphere containing hydrogen is performed. A native oxide film is inevitably formed between the thin film containing the dopant and the semiconductor wafer, however, by performing hydrogen annealing, the dopant atoms diffuse relatively easily in the native oxide film and accumulate at the interface between the front surface of the semiconductor wafer and the native oxide film. Subsequently, the semiconductor wafer is preheated to a preheating temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere, and then, flash heating treatment in which the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is heated to a peak temperature for less than one second is performed. The dopant atoms are diffused and activated in a shallow manner from the front surface of the semiconductor wafer, thus, the low-resistance and extremely shallow junction is obtained.

Abstract: A plurality of substrate support pins are provided upright on a holding plate so as to contact a position on which no stress is exerted in a lower surface of a semiconductor wafer when an upper surface of the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with flash light emitted from a flash lamp and thus reaches a maximum temperature. When the application of the flash light causes the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer to warp such that the upper surface becomes raised, stress concentration does not occur in the contact position of the lower surface of the semiconductor wafer that contacts the plurality of substrate support pins. The semiconductor wafer can be prevented from breaking during the application of the flash light.

Abstract: Light is applied for preheating from a halogen lamp to a lower surface of a semiconductor wafer supported on a susceptor within a chamber. Thereafter, flash light is applied for flash heating from a flash lamp to an upper surface of the semiconductor wafer. High-temperature treatment gas heated by a heater is supplied into the chamber to preheat a structure inside the chamber including a susceptor before heat treatment for an initial semiconductor wafer of a lot starts. By raising the temperature of the structure inside the chamber to a temperature substantially equivalent to a temperature of the structure during steady treatment, all semiconductor wafers constituting the lot are supportable on the susceptor maintained at a constant temperature without the necessity of dummy running. Accordingly, a temperature history is equalized for all the semiconductor wafers.

Abstract: First irradiation which causes an emission output from a flash lamp to reach its maximum value over a time period in the range of 1 to 20 milliseconds is performed to increase the temperature of a front surface of a semiconductor wafer from a preheating temperature to a target temperature for a time period in the range of 1 to 20 milliseconds. This achieves the activation of the impurities. Subsequently, second irradiation which gradually decreases the emission output from the maximum value over a time period in the range of 3 to 50 milliseconds is performed to maintain the temperature of the front surface within a ±25° C. range around the target temperature for a time period in the range of 3 to 50 milliseconds. This prevents the occurrence of process-induced damage while suppressing the diffusion of the impurities.

Abstract: A substrate in a chamber is preheated through light irradiation by a halogen lamp and then heated through irradiation with flash light from a flash lamp. Ammonia is supplied to the chamber from an ammonia supply mechanism to form ammonia atmosphere. The temperature of the substrate at heating processing is measured by a radiation thermometer. When the measurement wavelength band of the radiation thermometer overlaps with the absorption wavelength band of ammonia, the set emissivity of the radiation thermometer is changed and set to be lower than the actual emissivity of the substrate. When radiation light emitted from the substrate is absorbed by the ammonia atmosphere, the radiation thermometer can accurately output the temperature of the substrate as a measured value by reducing the set emissivity of the radiation thermometer.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer to be treated is heated at a first preheating temperature ranging from 100 to 200° C. while a pressure in a chamber housing the semiconductor wafer is reduced to a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure. After the semiconductor wafer is preheated to increase the temperature into a second preheating temperature ranging from 500 to 700° C. while the pressure in the chamber is restored to a pressure higher than the reduced pressure, a flash lamp emits a flashlight to a surface of the semiconductor wafer. Heating the semiconductor wafer at the first preheating temperature that is a relatively low temperature enables, for example, the moisture absorbed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer in trace amounts to be desorbed from the surface, and also enables the flash heating treatment to be performed with oxygen derived from such absorption removed as much as possible.

Abstract: First irradiation which causes an emission output from a flash lamp to reach its maximum value over a time period in the range of 1 to 20 milliseconds is performed to increase the temperature of a front surface of a semiconductor wafer from a preheating temperature to a target temperature for a time period in the range of 1 to 20 milliseconds. This achieves the activation of the impurities. Subsequently, second irradiation which gradually decreases the emission output from the maximum value over a time period in the range of 3 to 50 milliseconds is performed to maintain the temperature of the front surface within a ±25° C. range around the target temperature for a time period in the range of 3 to 50 milliseconds. This prevents the occurrence of process-induced damage while suppressing the diffusion of the impurities.

Abstract: A metal film is deposited on a front surface of a semiconductor wafer of silicon. After the semiconductor wafer is received in a chamber, the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber to return the pressure in the chamber to ordinary pressure, and the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with a flash of light, so that a silicide that is a compound of the metal film and silicon is formed. The oxygen concentration in the chamber is significantly lowered during the formation of the silicide because the pressure in the chamber is reduced once to the pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and then returned to the ordinary pressure. This suppresses the increase in resistance of the silicide resulting from the entry of oxygen in the atmosphere in the chamber into defects near the interface between the metal film and a base material.

Abstract: Over a front surface of a silicon semiconductor wafer is deposited a high dielectric constant film with a silicon oxide film, serving as an interface layer, provided between the semiconductor wafer and the high dielectric constant film. After a chamber houses the semiconductor wafer, a chamber's pressure is reduced to be lower than atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, a gaseous mixture of ammonia and nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber to return the pressure to ordinary pressure, and the front surface is irradiated with a flash light, thereby performing post deposition annealing (PDA) on the high dielectric constant film. Since the pressure is reduced once to be lower than atmospheric pressure and then returned to ordinary pressure, a chamber's oxygen concentration is lowered remarkably during the PDA. This restricts an increase in thickness of the silicon oxide film underlying the high dielectric constant film by oxygen taken in during the PDA.

Abstract: A metal film is deposited on a front surface of a semiconductor wafer of silicon. After the semiconductor wafer is received in a chamber, the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber to return the pressure in the chamber to ordinary pressure, and the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with a flash of light, so that a silicide that is a compound of the metal film and silicon is formed. The oxygen concentration in the chamber is significantly lowered during the formation of the silicide because the pressure in the chamber is reduced once to the pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and then returned to the ordinary pressure. This suppresses the increase in resistance of the silicide resulting from the entry of oxygen in the atmosphere in the chamber into defects near the interface between the metal film and a base material.

Abstract: A plurality of support pins that support a semiconductor wafer are located upright on a top surface of a susceptor. A condenser lens is located on a bottom surface of the susceptor opposite to the support pins with respect to the susceptor. The condenser lens is located such that its optical axis coincides with the central axis of the corresponding support pin. Of light emitted from halogen lamps from below, light entering the condenser lens is condensed at a contact portion between the corresponding support pin and the semiconductor wafer, so that the vicinity of the contact portion rises in temperature. The vicinity of the contact portion of the semiconductor wafer in contact with the support pin in which the temperature tends to drop is relatively intensely heated in order to suppress the temperature drop, and an in-plane temperature distribution of the semiconductor wafer during light irradiation can thus be made uniform.

Abstract: First, a substrate with one main surface on which a thin film of at least one of a mono-molecular layer and a multi-molecular layer including dopants is formed is prepared. Subsequently, the prepared substrate is placed in a chamber, and dopants included in the thin film are introduced from the thin film into a surface layer of the substrate by providing the substrate, through irradiation with light from a first lamp, with preliminary heat treatment in a first temperature band higher than a temperature before heating. Then, the dopants introduced into the surface layer of the substrate are activated by heating the substrate provided with the preliminary heat treatment and placed in the chamber from the first temperature band to a second temperature band higher than the first temperature band through irradiation with flash light from a second lamp.

Abstract: A thin film containing a dopant is deposited on a surface of a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer on which the thin film containing the dopant is deposited is rapidly heated to a first peak temperature by irradiation with light from halogen lamps, so that the dopant is diffused from the thin film into the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The thermal diffusion using the rapid heating achieves the introduction of the necessary and sufficient dopant into the semiconductor wafer without producing defects. The surface of the semiconductor wafer is heated to a second peak temperature by further irradiating the semiconductor wafer with flashes of light from flash lamps, so that the dopant is activated. The flash irradiation which is extremely short in irradiation time achieves a high activation rate without excessive diffusion of the dopant.

Abstract: Over a front surface of a silicon semiconductor wafer is deposited a high dielectric constant film with a silicon oxide film, serving as an interface layer, provided between the semiconductor wafer and the high dielectric constant film. After a chamber houses the semiconductor wafer, a chamber's pressure is reduced to be lower than atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, a gaseous mixture of ammonia and nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber to return the pressure to ordinary pressure, and the front surface is irradiated with a flash light, thereby performing post deposition annealing (PDA) on the high dielectric constant film. Since the pressure is reduced once to be lower than atmospheric pressure and then returned to ordinary pressure, a chamber's oxygen concentration is lowered remarkably during the PDA. This restricts an increase in thickness of the silicon oxide film underlying the high dielectric constant film by oxygen taken in during the PDA.

Abstract: A pyrometer holder is mounted to an outer wall of a chamber while holding a lower radiation thermometer. The front end of the lower radiation thermometer is brought into abutment with a mounting portion of the pyrometer holder, and a bottom plate is brought into abutment with the rear end of the lower radiation thermometer. A tension spring is tensioned between the bottom plate and the mounting portion to prevent the lower radiation thermometer from falling off or misregistration. An angle adjusting mechanism adjusts the angle of the radiation thermometer with respect to the outer wall of the chamber, with the front end of the radiation thermometer serving as a supporting point. Thus, the measurement position of the lower radiation thermometer is adjusted.

Abstract: A front surface of a semiconductor wafer is rapidly heated by irradiation of a flash of light. Temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is measured at predetermined intervals after the irradiation of the flash of light, and is sequentially accumulated to acquire a temperature profile. From the temperature profile, an average value and a standard deviation are each calculated as a characteristic value. It is determined that the semiconductor wafer is cracked when an average value of the temperature profile deviates from the range of ±5? from a total average of temperature profiles of a plurality of semiconductor wafers or when a standard deviation of the temperature profile deviates from the range of 5? from the total average thereof of the plurality of semiconductor wafers.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer that has a plane orientation of (100) and is made of monocrystalline silicon is warped along an axis, i.e., a diameter along a <100> direction of the semiconductor wafer when irradiated with a flash of light. The semiconductor wafer is placed on a susceptor while the direction of the semiconductor wafer is adjusted so that the diameter along the <100> direction coincides with an optical axis of an upper radiation thermometer. This adjustment makes a diameter along a direction in which a warp of the semiconductor wafer is smallest during irradiation with a flash of light coincide with the optical axis of the upper radiation thermometer. As a result, the semiconductor wafer is hardly warped along the optical axis direction of the upper radiation thermometer even during irradiation with a flash of light, thus hardly changing the emissivity of the semiconductor wafer, so that it is possible to accurately measure the temperature of an upper surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: When pressure in a chamber is once reduced lower than that when a flash of light is emitted and is maintained, after a flash lamp irradiates a semiconductor wafer accommodated in the chamber with the flash of light, a portion in the chamber, where gas is liable to remain, is eliminated. Then, when a flow rate of nitrogen gas to be supplied into the chamber is increased to discharge gas in the chamber, particles flying in the chamber due to flash irradiation can be smoothly discharged. As a result, the particles flying in the chamber can be prevented from being attached to an additional semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A thin film containing a dopant is deposited on a surface of a semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer on which the thin film containing the dopant is deposited is rapidly heated to a first peak temperature by irradiation with light from halogen lamps, so that the dopant is diffused from the thin film into the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The thermal diffusion using the rapid heating achieves the introduction of the necessary and sufficient dopant into the semiconductor wafer without producing defects. The surface of the semiconductor wafer is heated to a second peak temperature by further irradiating the semiconductor wafer with flashes of light from flash lamps, so that the dopant is activated. The flash irradiation which is extremely short in irradiation time achieves a high activation rate without excessive diffusion of the dopant.