Abstract: Described are heating members and related methods, the heating members being usefully for processing substrates such as microelectronic devices, the heating members optionally and preferably comprising a thermal conductive layer prepared to a superior flatness and having thermal transfer properties that facilitate rapid, agile, and uniform heat transfer, with ceramic material being preferred for its construction, and the heating member optionally and preferably including a multi-layer heating element.

Abstract: A heating device of the light irradiation type in which uniform illuminance can be obtained without placing a single end lamp in the middle of the light source part is achieved providing a light source part in which circular lamps are arranged concentrically to one another with a mirror in the center of the circular lamps. The mirror is convex toward the workpiece and reflects the light emitted from the innermost circular lamp located closest to the center area so that, without placing a single end lamp in the middle area, the reduction of illuminance in the middle area of the irradiated surface is reduced. Furthermore, the reflector can be made conical, and in this way, the light from the lamps can be emitted with high efficiency onto the workpiece surface.

Abstract: A substrate heat treatment apparatus irradiating a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer with light and performing heat treatment is provided. 19 lamps 82 are arranged on a plane in the form of a honeycomb to form a lamp group 81. The lamp group 81 has 6-fold rotation symmetry about a symmetry axis XR. A substrate W is rotated about a rotation axis XW in a plane parallel to that formed by the lamp group 81. The symmetry axis XR of the lamp group 81 and the rotation axis XW of the substrate W are displaced for relaxing peaks and bottoms of illuminance distribution on the substrate W resulting from regularity of arrangement of the lamp group 81. Consequently, fluctuation of radial illuminance distribution on the substrate W is reduced and improving uniformity is improved. When the uniformity of radial illuminance distribution on the substrate W is improved, temperature uniformity of the substrate W in heat treatment can be ensured.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a semiconductor wafer baking apparatus comprising a heating plate, a wafer guide, and an exhaust heat compensator. The heating plate is loaded with a wafer and the wafer guide arranges the wafer on the heating plate. The exhaust heat compensator is placed on the wafer guide and compensates exhausted heat from an edge area of the wafer. The exhaust heat compensator comprises a penetration hole to expose a center portion of the wafer. Therefore, the semiconductor wafer baking apparatus according to the present invention compensates the heat loss occurring in the edge area of the wafer and keeps the edge area of the wafer from temperature drop, which results in a temperature uniformity on the wafer surface. By reducing the temperature deviation within a wafer, a uniform pattern size of an entire wafer in the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process is achieved so that the process reliability and the process yields can be improved.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for thermally processing a substrate employs lift pin for supporting or contacting the substrate while conveying radiation from the substrate to a detector and/or processor through a hollow member. The lift pin comprises a contact member flexibly mounted on the hollow member to adjust to the angle of the substrate. By conforming the orientation of the contact member to the angle of the substrate, accurate detection and processing of the substrate may be performed.

Abstract: A device and method for thermally treating substrates. A substrate is heated by a heating plate to improve thermal homogeneity. The heating plate is heated using a number of separately controlled heating elements. The temperature of the heating elements is measured and the heating process is controlled by a PID controller. In addition, the temperature of the substrate surface facing away from the heating plate is locally measured. The temperature distribution over the substrate surface is determined according to the measured temperatures and set values for the temperature of the individual heating elements are determined and transmitted to the PID controller.

Abstract: The present invention provides a furnace which heat treats substrates. The furnace includes a heating section and working components. The heating section includes heating coils having spacers disposed within the heating coils where a mass of the heating coils and a mass of the spacers contributes to a mass of the heating section. The working components include a processing chamber and a transport mechanism. The processing chambers facilitates passage of a substrate through the heating section. The transport mechanism transports the substrate through the heating section and into the exit assembly. The heating section mass exceeds a combined mass of the processing chamber, the transport mechanism and the substrate within the heating section.

Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus for applying a predetermined heat treatment to a substrate includes: for example, a dielectric low oxygen controlled cure unit (DLC unit) for forming an interlayer insulating film on a semiconductor wafer W; a hot plate for supporting the wafer W a predetermined distance apart from the surface thereof; a chamber for housing the wafer W; a gas collecting port formed in that portion of the hot plate which corresponds to the lower side of the wafer W when the wafer W is disposed on the hot plate; and an oxygen sensor for measuring the oxygen concentration in the gas collected from the gas collecting port. Since the oxygen concentration can be measured during the heat treatment to the wafer W, the characteristics of the interlayer insulating film formed can be maintained constant.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a method for controlling the temperature of a substantially flat object and to a temperature-controlled chuck comprising a chuck body (20) having an object support side (21) and a back side (22). Said object support side (21) holds a substantially flat object (1) having a front side (2) and a back side (3) on said back side (3) of said object (1). A plurality of temperature sensing elements (4) is distributed on said object support side (1) to measure the temperature distribution of said flat object (1). A plurality of individual temperature influencing elements (6; 8; 9) is distributed on said object support side (21) to face said back side (3) of said flat object (1), each of said temperature influencing elements (6; 8; 9) being arranged to influence the temperature of a partial area of said object's back side (3) as desired.

Abstract: An apparatus for rapid thermal processing is described and includes a cylindrical lamp array structure (13) surrounding a cylindrical process tube (16). The cylindrical process tube (16) has a lengthwise central axis (22). The cylindrical lamp array structure (13) includes heat sources or lamps (26). The lamps (26) are positioned with respect to the cylindrical process tube (16) so that the sides of the lamps (26) focus light energy in the direction of the lengthwise central axis (22). Substrates (12) are oriented within the cylindrical process tube (16) so that the major surfaces (14) of the substrates (12) are substantially normal to the lengthwise central axis (22). In an alternative embodiment, a magnetic field source (19) is included for processing storage devices such as non-volatile memory devices.

Abstract: An apparatus for heat treatment of a wafer is disclosed. The apparatus includes a heating chamber having a heat source. A cooling chamber is positioned adjacent to the heating chamber and includes a cooling source. A wafer holder is configured to move between the cooling chamber and the heating chamber through a passageway and one or more shutters defines the size of the passageway. The one or more shutters are movable between an open position where the wafer holder can pass through the passageway and an obstructing position which defines a passageway which is smaller than the passageway defined when the shutter is in the open position.

Abstract: An improved chemical vapor deposition reaction chamber having an internal support plate to enable reduced pressure processing. The chamber has a vertical-lateral lenticular cross-section with a wide horizontal dimension and a shorter vertical dimension between bi-convex upper and lower walls. A central horizontal support plate is provided between two lateral side rails of the chamber. A large rounded rectangular aperture is formed in the support plate for positioning a rotatable susceptor on which a wafer is placed. The shaft of the susceptor extends downward through the aperture and through a lower tube depending from the chamber. The support plate segregates the reaction chamber into an upper region and a lower region, with purge gas being introduced through the lower tube into the lower region to prevent unwanted deposition therein. A temperature compensation ring is provided surrounding the susceptor and supported by fingers connected to the support plate.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides a vacuum system having a small-volume load-lock chamber for supporting a substrate set of only two rows of substrates, which provides for quick evacuation and venting of the load-lock chamber to provide a continuous feed load-lock chamber. More particularly, the present invention provides a transfer chamber; one or more processing chambers connected to the transfer chamber; a substrate handling robot disposed in the transfer chamber; and at least one load-lock chamber connected to the transfer chamber, and having one or more substrate support members for supporting one or more stacks of only two substrates per stack. Another aspect of the invention provides a staging, or storage rack associated with or integrated with the load-lock chamber. More particularly, the staging, or storage rack may be located outside the transfer chamber and accessible by a staging robot serving the load-lock chamber.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed for heating a substrate by a heater through a susceptor in a state in which the substrate is placed on the susceptor, to process the substrate. The heater is divided into a plurality of respectively controlled zone heaters to form gaps therebetween, a center position of a gap of the gaps which is positioned closer to an end of the substrate than any other gap is located in a range from an inner side 10 mm to an outer side 6 mm in a radial direction of the substrate with respect to the end of the substrate.

Abstract: With reference to a device for heating a meltable material, such as plastic, upstream from equipment for further processing, such as casting or extrusion equipment, which device includes a conveyor channel for the material and a heating means located outside the conveyor channel, the heating means being designed as a radiant heating means and the thermal radiation being directed onto the conveyor channel, the invention proposes that the conveyor channel consist of a material which completely or partially absorbs the thermal radiation.

Abstract: A lamp array for a thermal processing chamber. The lamp array includes a plurality of lamps arranged in a generally circular array. The plurality of lamps can be arranged in one or more concentric rings to form a generally circular array. Additional lamp arrays can be provided adjacent the circumference of the circular array or outermost concentric ring to provide a generally rectangular heating pattern. At least one row of lamps can be provided tangentially to the circular portion of the lamp array to provide preheating or postheating of process gases in the flow direction of a rectangular processing chamber.

Abstract: In a heat processing apparatus structured to heat a wafer on a hot plate, a black plate at least the rear face of which practically has a color with a JIS lightness of 0V to 4V is positioned above the hot plate. Moreover, cooling air is blown out from nozzles onto the rear face of the hot plate. Thus, the temperature of the hot plate can be cooled rapidly.

Abstract: Uniformity of temperature is established within a wafer, and a higher throughput is achieved while the wafer heating time is dramatically reduced by combining lamp heating with hot-wall heating. Lamps 10 are provided outside the furnace body 3 of a hot-wall CVD apparatus. The hot-wall reactor furnace body 3 is preheated to a prescribed temperature. Wafers W are loaded into the furnace body 3, and these wafers W are rapidly heated mediately thereafter to the desired temperature by light emitted by the lamps 10. The lamps 10 are switched off following heating, and the wafer temperature is allowed to reach a uniform state as a result of heat diffusion in the wafers in the hot-wall reactor furnace body 3. It is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which preheating commensurate with the cooling occurring during the transport period is performed before the wafers W are loaded into the furnace body 3. the wafers W are then loaded into the reactor furnace body 3.

Abstract: There is provided a lamp unit for light radiating type heating device which allows efficient cooling of the lamps, and the temperature increase of a semiconductor wafer irradiated with the lamp unit is faster than in the prior art without the need of a complicated and large cooling structure.

Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus enables a rapid temperature rise of an object to be processed while giving an excellent economical efficiency. A heating unit heats an object to be heated by irradiating a light onto the object. A plurality of lamps are provided in a lamp house. The lamps include at least one first lamp and a plurality of second lamps each having an irradiation area smaller than that of the first lamp. The lamp house has a first lamp accommodation part at a center thereof and a second lamp accommodation part surrounding the first lamp accommodation part so that the first lamp accommodation part accommodates the first lamp and the second lamp accommodation part accommodates the second lamps.

Abstract: A reactor chamber is positioned between a top array of heat lamps and a bottom array of heat lamps. At least one of the heat lamps forming the top and bottom arrays features a segmented filament such that power output along the length of the heat lamp differs. In one configuration, the heat lamp has a pair of high energy output regions spaced from each other by a lower energy output region. In some configurations, at least one of the heat lamps forming the top and bottom arrays is non-linear, such as U-shaped. In further configurations, a non-linear heat lamp has a segmented filament with segments or areas of different winding density.

Abstract: An apparatus for heat treatment of a wafer is disclosed. The apparatus includes a heating chamber having a heat source. A cooling chamber is positioned adjacent to the heating chamber and includes a cooling source. A wafer holder is. configured to move between the cooling chamber and the heating chamber through a passageway and one or more shutters defines the size of the passageway. The one or more shutters are movable between an open position where the wafer holder can pass through the passageway and an obstructing position which defines a passageway which is smaller than the passageway defined when the shutter is in the open position.

Abstract: An apparatus that includes a reflector having a mirrored surface facing down, a glass structure located beneath the reflector, a susceptor within the glass structure having a surface facing up that is capable of holding a part to be processed, and one or more radiant heat sources directed at and located beneath the glass structure.

Abstract: A wafer treatment apparatus includes a wafer heating device having a wafer-load region at an upper portion, a shower head opposing the wafer-load region for ejecting/directing a source gas toward the wafer surface, and a reflecting apparatus positioned between the shower head and the heating device for reflecting thermal energy radiated from the heating device back toward the wafer-load region. The reflecting apparatus includes a reflector positioned above and opposing the wafer-load region, and a supporter for supporting the reflector. The reflector may have a flattened reflecting surface facing toward the wafer-load region, or may be a semi-spherical type reflector having a concave mirror facing toward the wafer-load region. The reflector can be controlled to move vertically relative to the wafer.

Abstract: In a heat processing apparatus for heating a wafer on a hot plate, a black plate having at least a rear face practically having a color with a JIS lightness of 0V to 4V is positioned above the hot plate. Moreover, cooling air is blown out from nozzles onto the rear face of the hot plate so that the temperature of the hot plate can be cooled rapidly.

Abstract: A thermal processing chamber configured to enclose and heat treat a single electronic substrate at an exposed surface, such as a wafer or electronic circuit board being re-melted, includes an enclosed gas tight and particle free heat insulated chamber. An electronic substrate support is placed within the enclosed gas tight and particle free heat insulated chamber. A convection gas inlet distribution manifold adjustable in spatial relation towards and away from the surface to be treated provides a flow of heated gas over and onto the exposed surface of the electronic substrate to be treated. A heated convection gas outlet is placed below the electronic substrate for the collection of heated gas after flowing over, around and below the exposed surface of the electronic substrate to be treated. A door is movable between and open and closed position. The door opens a path to move the electronic substrate into and out of the chamber to and from the electronic substrate support in an open position.

Abstract: A single-substrate-heat-processing apparatus includes an airtight process chamber, the interior of which is partitioned into a process space and a lower space by a mount plate and a shield frame. Heating lamps are disposed at a position outside the process chamber and below the mount plate. The mount plate is supported by a shield frame via an isolator, which has a thermal conductivity lower than that of the mount plate. The isolator is formed of a lower member and an upper member. The upper member has outer and inner cover portions, which cover the inner edge of the shield frame and the outer edge of the mount plate, respectively, in a non-contacting state.

Abstract: Air bearings support a rotating wafer carrying base in an RTP system. The base in proximity to the air bearing is protected from warping due to absorption of radiation from the hot wafer being treated. The most preferred embodiment splits the base into an inner disk carrying the wafer and an outer ring, where the inner ring which absorbs the most energy contacts and is supported at three points by the outer disk which is supported by the air bearing.

Abstract: A quartz window can withstand a pressure difference between an atmospheric pressure and a negative pressure environment created in a thermal processing apparatus that applies a thermal process to a target object under the negative pressure environment. The quartz window is adapted to be positioned between a radiation heat source and an object to be subjected to a heat treatment in the process chamber. The quartz window has a plate made of quartz and a plurality of ribs formed on the plate so as to reinforce the plate.

Abstract: A quartz window decreases an amount of absorption of heat from a heat source while maintaining a pressure difference between the pressure inside a process chamber and an atmospheric pressure. The process chamber defines a process space for processing an object to be processes. A placement stage is provided in the process chamber so as to place the object to be processed thereon. A gas supply part which supplies to the process chamber a process gas for processing the object to be processed. The quartz window is provided as a part of the process chamber so that the quartz window is opposite to the object to be processed placed on the placement stage. A heating unit has a heat radiation lamp provided on an opposite side of the process chamber with respect to the light-transmitting window. The quartz window constitutes a convex lens part which is formed on a periphery of the quartz window and protrudes into the process space.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of regulating temperature of a component of a processing chamber is provided. The apparatus comprises a first thermal conductor thermally connected to the component, wherein the first thermal conductor is a resistive heating element disposed adjacent the component, a second thermal conductor thermally connected to the component, wherein the second thermal conductor is a fluid channel disposed adjacent the component, the fluid channel having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a controller connected to the first and second thermal conductors, providing at least one temperature sensor connected to the component to supply temperature readings to the controller. Radiative heaters in thermal communication with the component may be used in place of a resistive heating element.

Abstract: A rapid thermal heating apparatus including a plurality of radiant energy sources and reflectors associated with the radiant energy sources. The radiant energy sources and reflectors direct radiation through a window of an envacuable chamber to radiate regions of a substrate in the chamber with a pattern of radiation intensity.

Abstract: Methods and systems for heat-treating a workpiece are disclosed. One such method involves pre-heating the workpiece to an intermediate temperature, heating a surface of the workpiece to a desired temperature greater than the intermediate temperature, and enhancing cooling of the workpiece. Enhancing cooling may involve absorbing radiation thermally emitted by the workpiece. Semiconductor heating methods and apparatuses are also disclosed. One such apparatus includes a first heating source for heating a first surface of a semiconductor wafer, a second heating source for heating a second surface of the semiconductor wafer, and a first cooled window disposed between the first heating source and the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: An apparatus for baking a wafer includes a heating plate for supporting the wafer to be baked, a lifting device for loading and unloading the wafer onto and from the upper surface of the heating plate, and a detector for detecting whether the wafer loaded by the lifting device onto the upper surface of the heating plate extends parallel to the upper surface, i.e., is situated correctly on the heating plate. The detector includes proximity sensors and a controller. The proximity sensors are disposed in or on the heating plate for sensing respective distances from the positions thereof to the wafer and generating signals indicative of whether the wafer is disposed more than a predetermined distance away from the sensors. The controller determines, on the basis of the signals generated by the proximity sensors, whether the baking process should be carried out and controls the baking process once it is initiated.

Abstract: Optical heat-generating apparatus and methods that rapidly, controllably deliver energy (heat) to heat shrink tubing disposed over wires or other components and that may be used to fuse insulated wires together, and solder and unsolder packaged IC chips. In general, the apparatus comprises a housing having one or more reflective cavities that each comprise a linear elliptical reflective surface having first and second focal lines, and into which the heatable component is inserted and disposed along the first focal line. One or more optical heat-generating elements are disposed along the second focal line of each respective linear elliptical reflective surface that emit energy that is focused by the one or more linear elliptical reflective surfaces onto the heatable component disposed along the first focal line. A number of different embodiments of the apparatus have been developed. Lengths of heat shrink tubing may be readily shrunk using various embodiments of the present invention in less than one second.

Abstract: Uniformity of temperature is established within a wafer, and a higher throughput is achieved while the wafer heating time is dramatically reduced by combining lamp heating with hot-wall heating. Lamps 10 are provided outside the furnace body 3 of a hot-wall CVD apparatus. The hot-wall reactor furnace body 3 is preheated to a prescribed temperature. Wafers W are loaded into the furnace body 3, and these wafers W are rapidly heated immediately thereafter to the desired temperature by light emitted by the lamps 10. The lamps 10 are switched off following heating, and the wafer temperature is allowed to reach a uniform state as a result of heat diffusion in the wafers in the hot-wall reactor furnace body 3. It is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which preheating commensurate with the cooling occurring during the transport period is performed before the wafers W are loaded into the furnace body 3, the wafers W are then loaded Into the reactor furnace body 3.

Abstract: An apparatus for heating a printed circuit board includes a conveyor (2) to transport a printed circuit board (1), and a heating chamber (3) through which the printed circuit board on the conveyor passes. The surrounding wall (9) of the heating chamber has vacuum layers (12) (13) for heat insulation, and a reinforcing rib (19) is fastened to the surrounding wall. A member for preventing collapse of the surrounding wall is inserted and secured in the vacuum layer in the surrounding wall. The member includes a stainless steel channel member (17) and a heat insulating plate (18) with a rectangular cross section. White cotton used as a member (20) for intercepting radiant heat is installed within the vacuum layer in the surrounding wall, and a radiant heat reflective layer (22) of aluminum foil, etc. is installed on the surface of the surrounding wall facing the heating chamber.

Abstract: A processing chamber and methods for employing this processing chamber to thermally treat wafer-like objects. The chamber comprises a double walled shell, a pedestal style heater, internal passages for the transport of cooling gases and removal of exhaust gases, independently variable gas introduction patterns, and a movable door for sealing the chamber. The chamber is designed to permit in situ cooling of wafer-like objects and to provide means for precise optimization of this cooling. The methods provide for the processing of the wafer-like object in an environment where the temperature, rate of change of the temperature, composition of gases and the relative timings of changes to these variables may be controlled to achieve the desired material properties in the wafer-like object or in films contained on this wafer-like object.

Abstract: The present invention is a lightwave oven that includes an oven chamber, a food support within the oven chamber, and a lightwave cooking lamp moveably mounted within the oven chamber between a first position in which the lamp is positioned to direct radiant energy onto a first area of the food support and a second position in which the lamp is positioned to direct radiant energy onto a second, separate, area of the food support. The lamp is illuminated and made to scan, preferably multiple times, across the food so as to cook the food.

Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus of the present invention includes a reaction tube, an exhaust unit for reducing the pressure in the reaction tube, a unit for introducing gas for heating or cooling a subject substrate disposed in the reaction tube, a light source for heating the subject substrate disposed in the reaction tube, and a unit for switching on/off the light source in a pulse form. Furthermore, the subject substrate is heated by a light source, using a first unit for heating the subject substrate by switching on/off the light source in a pulse form with a cycle of one second or shorter, and a second unit for heating the subject substrate by switching on/off the light source in a pulse form with a cycle of one second or longer.

Abstract: An ultra-high-temperature heat treatment apparatus includes an electric furnace, a furnace tube made of porous SiC/CVD-SiC, a heat-insulating apparatus fitted into the furnace tube for interrupting heat conduction from the furnace tube, a contamination control apparatus disposed beneath the furnace tube for preventing contamination in the furnace tube, and a separator mechanism for separating a wafer, subject to heat treatment in the furnace tube, from an annular holder. The electric furnace includes a heater comprised of heater elements which are replaceable independently of each other. Each heater element includes a heat-generating portion disposed along the inner wall face of the heat insulator so as not to be in close contact therewith, and a fixture portion fixed to the heat insulator. This heater construction makes it possible to reduce heater repair costs, suppress reactions between the heat-generating portions and the heat insulator, and suppress a contraction of the heat insulator.

Abstract: Uniformity of temperature is established within a wafer, and a higher throughput is achieved while the wafer heating time is dramatically reduced by combining lamp heating with hot-wall heating. Lamps 10 are provided outside the furnace body 3 of a hot-wall CVD apparatus. The hot-wall reactor furnace body 3 is preheated to a prescribed temperature. Wafers W are loaded into the furnace body 3, and these wafers W are rapidly heated immediately thereafter to the desired temperature by light emitted by the lamps 10. The lamps 10 are switched off following heating, and the wafer temperature is allowed to reach a uniform state as a result of heat diffusion in the wafers in the hot-wall reactor furnace body 3.

Abstract: This invention is a thermal management method for efficient, rapid, controllable and uniform thermal management over a wide temperature range. The method integrates a thermal source, thermal sink and a thermal diffuser. According to the invention, a thermal diffuser is positioned stationary relative to the wafer surface and coupled to a thermal source and a thermal sink, which are also stationary relative to the wafer surface. The thermal sink comprises a heat-carrying media with a controllable temperature. The wafer is heated from a first processing temperature to a second processing temperature during a heating time interval and then cooled to the first processing temperature from the second processing temperature during a cooling time interval. During heating and cooling, the wafer is constantly held in a fixed position. Zonal control of the thermal source and non-uniform flow of the thermal sink enable sensitive mitigation of thermal non-uniformity on a heating surface.

Abstract: A heat treatment device of the light irradiation type with a long service life, in which effective, adequate cooling of the lamps (10) prevents devitrification of the lamp emission portion, even if the power supplied to the lamps is increased to accelerate the temperature increase of the wafer, is achieved by the provision of air injection lines (14) in a mirror (11), in which the lamps are mounted, for blowing in air into the vicinity of the lamps (10), and at least one air exhaust line (23) for evacuation of air from the vicinity of the lamps (10).

Abstract: A method is provided for the rapid. cooling of a processed semiconductor wafer after a wafer heating by radiation process. The method includes the introduction of a radiation absorbing material element between the processed wafer and highly reflective surfaces—after a wafer heating by radiation process. The highly reflective surfaces reflect and re-direct radiant energy from the processed wafer and its surrounding components back to the processed wafer, impeding its cooling process. The radiation-absorbing material element, once between the processed wafer and the highly reflective surfaces, absorbs radiation from the processed wafer and its surrounding components, expediting their cooling process. Accordingly, significant time is saved for the cooling process, thus improving overall wafer throughput.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for heating a loadlock to inhibit the formation of contaminants within the loadlock. At least one heater is attached to the walls of the loadlock to boil contaminants from the surfaces within the loadlock. These desorbed contaminants are exhausted from the loadlock by a vacuum pump. Alternatively, a purge gas can be supplied to the loadlock while the loadlock is being heated. The flow of purge gas flushes the desorbed contaminants from the loadlock.

Abstract: A thermal reactor has a processing tube with a multiple-walled inner chamber. The geometry of the multiple-walled inner chamber having flow passageways between the walls, directs the flow of heat to the wafers loaded in the wafer boats for maintaining a flat zone temperature profile. The thermal budget, TB, which is a function of time and temperature, at each vertical zone in the processing tube is substantially equal in all zones.

Abstract: A novel heat treatment apparatus is provided which comprises a first tube, a second tube placed therein, and a heater. A semiconductor article is heat treated in the second tube in an atmospheric gas. At least an internal face of the second tube is constructed from non-silicon oxide, and the first tube is constructed from vitreous silica. In this way, hydrogen gas is fed to a wafer without passing over a face comprised of silicon oxide heated to a high temperature. This apparatus prevents metal contamination of the wafer by fused quartz tube as the contamination source and also prevents etching of silicon by reaction of silicon oxide and silicon.

Abstract: A system and process is disclosed for rapidly heating semiconductor wafers coated with a highly reflective material on either the whole wafer or in a patterned area. The wafers are heated in a thermal processing chamber by a plurality of lamps. In order for the wafer coated with the highly reflective material to more rapidly increase in temperature with lower power intensity, a shield member is placed in between the wafer and the plurality of lamps. The shield member is made from a high emissivity material, such as ceramic, that increases in temperature when exposed to light energy. Once heated, the shield member then in turn heats the semiconductor wafer with higher uniformity. In one embodiment, the shield member can also be used to determine the temperature of the wafer as it is heated.

Abstract: A thermal processing apparatus includes a cooling water passage in a circumferential wall of a processing vessel such that the cooling water passage extends from a water inlet port to a turn-around point along the circumferential wall in a first direction and further from the turn-around point to a water exit port in a second, opposite direction.