Method and apparatus for lamp anneal

• US 6,635,852 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1998
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Seiwa, Akinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): FUQUA, SHAWNTINA T
• Application Number:
  US09/096,497
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 219/390, 219/411, 219/413, 219/405, 392/416, 392/418, 118/725, 118/728, 118/724, 118/50.1, 374/179
• US Class Current: 219/390
• CPC Class Codes: F27B 17/0025 Especially adapted for treating semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 19/00 Arrangements of controlling devices
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 2019/0003 Monitoring the temperature or a characteristic of the charge and using it as a controlling value
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 21/0014 Devices for monitoring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 5/0037 Supports specially adapted for semi-conductors
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 7/00 Forming, maintaining, or circulating atmospheres in heating chambers
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 99/0006 Electric heating elements or system
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring

Abstract

The present invention provides a lamp anneal apparatus comprising: a chamber; a wafer holder accommodated in the chamber for holding a wafer to be annealed; a first set of lamps provided over a top wall of the chamber; and a second set of lamps provided under a bottom wall of the chamber, wherein the wafer holder has a plurality of contact temperature sensors which are positioned under the wafer so that the contact temperature sensors receive substantially no radiation from lamps, and the contact temperature sensors are in contact with a bottom surface of the wafer for supporting the wafer and detecting temperatures at different points of the wafer.

Claims

1. A wafer holder provided in a lamp anneal apparatus for holding a wafer, said wafer holder having a plurality of contact temperature sensors which are positioned under the wafer so that said contact temperature sensors receive substantially no radiation from lamps, and said contact temperature sensors being in contact with a bottom surface of said wafer for supporting all of said wafer'"'"'s weight and detecting temperatures at different points of said wafer.

2. The wafer holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said contact temperature sensors are electrically connected through a controller to said lamps to transmit signals indicating detected temperatures to said controller so that power to be supplied to said lamps is controlled by said controller on the basis of said signals from said contact temperature sensors.

3. The wafer holder as claimed in claim 2, wherein said controller independently controls individual powers to be supplied to said lamps on the basis of individual signals from said contact temperature sensors which individually detect temperatures of said wafer at individual points onto which said lamps individually radiate.

4. The wafer holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein said controller comprises a signal controller connected through signal transmission lines to said contact temperature sensors for controlling signals, and a power controller connected to said signal controller and also connected through power transmission lines to said lamps for controlling power to be supplied through said power transmission lines to said lamps on the basis of signals controlled by said signal controller.

5. The wafer holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wafer holder comprises a susceptor.

6. The wafer holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wafer holder comprises a pedestal.

7. The wafer holder of claim 1, further comprising a holder base that is positioned under the wafer, each of said temperature sensors having an exposed portion that extends above said holder base to support the wafer and a buried portion that is embedded within said holder base.

8. The wafer holder of claim 7, wherein said temperature sensors are radially arrayed from a center of said holder base and spaced apart to detect temperatures at different radially arrayed points of the wafer.

9. A lamp anneal apparatus comprising:

a chamber;

a wafer holder accommodated in said chamber for holding a wafer to be annealed;

a first set of lamps provided over a top wall of said chamber; and

a second set of lamps provided under a bottom wall of said chamber,

wherein said wafer holder has a plurality of contact temperature sensors which are positioned under the wafer so that said contact temperature sensors receive substantially no radiation from lamps, and said contact temperature sensors are in contact with a bottom surface of said wafer for supporting all of said wafer'"'"'s weight and detecting temperatures at different points of said wafer.

10. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said contact temperature sensors are electrically connected through a controller to said lamps to transmit signals indicating detected temperatures to said controller so that power to be supplied to said lamps is controlled by said controller on the basis of said signals from said contact temperature sensors.

11. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said controller independently controls individual power to be supplied to said lamps on the basis of individual signals from said contact temperature sensors which individually detect temperatures of said wafer at individual points onto which said lamps individually radiate.

12. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said controller comprises a signal controller connected through signal transmission lines to said contact temperature sensors for controlling signals, and a power controller connected to said signal controller and also connected through power transmission lines to said lamps for controlling power to be supplied through said power transmission lines to said lamps on the basis of signals controlled by said signal controller.

13. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said wafer holder comprises a susceptor.

14. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said wafer holder comprises a pedestal.

15. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said lamps of said first set are rod-shaped and aligned in parallel to each other within a single plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber.

16. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said lamps of said second set are rod-shaped and aligned in parallel to each other within a single plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber.

17. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said lamps of said first set are rod-shaped and said alignment structure comprises a first level alignment and a second level alignment over said first level alignment, said first level alignment aligns said lamps extend in parallel to each other within a first level plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber so that said lamps extends in a first direction included in said first level plane, and said second level alignment aligns said lamps in parallel to each other within a second level plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber so that said lamps extends in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction and included in said second level plane to form a multi-level meshed structure of said lamps.

18. The lamp anneal apparatus of claim 9, wherein said wafer holder comprises a holder base that is positioned under the wafer, each of said temperature sensors having an exposed portion that extends above said holder base to support the wafer and a buried portion that is embedded within said holder base.

19. The lamp anneal apparatus of claim 18, wherein said temperature sensors are radially arrayed from a center of said holder base and spaced apart to detect temperatures at different radially arrayed points of the wafer.

20. A lamp anneal apparatus comprising:

a chamber;

a wafer holder accommodated in said chamber for holding a wafer to be annealed, wherein said wafer holder has a plurality of contact temperature sensors which are positioned under the wafer so that said contact temperature sensors receive substantially no radiation from lamps, and said contact temperature sensors are in contact with a bottom surface of said wafer for supporting all of said wafer'"'"'s weight and detecting temperatures at different points of said wafer;

a first set of lamps provided over a top wall of said chamber, wherein said lamps of said first set are rod-shaped and aligned in parallel to each other within a single plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber; and

a second set of lamps provided under a bottom wall of said chamber,

wherein said contact temperature sensors are electrically connected through a controller to said lamps to transmit signals indicating detected temperatures to said controller so that power to be supplied to said lamps are controlled by said controller on the basis of said signals from said contact temperature sensors, and said controller independently controls individual power to be supplied to said lamps on the basis of individual signals from said contact temperature sensors which individually detect temperatures said wafer at individual points onto which said lamps individually radiate.

21. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein said controller comprises a signal controller connected through signal transmission lines to said contact temperature sensors for controlling signals, and a power controller connected to said signal controller and also connected through power transmission lines to said lamps for controlling powers to be supplied through said power transmission lines to said lamps on the basis of signals controlled by said signal controller.

22. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein said wafer holder comprises a susceptor.

23. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein said wafer holder comprises a pedestal.

24. The lamp anneal apparatus of claim 20, wherein said wafer holder comprises a holder base that is positioned under the wafer, each of said temperature sensors having an exposed portion that extends above said holder base to support the wafer and a buried portion that is embedded within said holder base.

25. The lamp anneal apparatus of claim 24, wherein said temperature sensors are radially arrayed from a center of said holder base and spaced apart to detect temperatures at different radially arrayed points of the wafer.

26. A lamp anneal apparatus comprising:

a chamber;

a wafer holder accommodated in said chamber for holding a wafer to be annealed, wherein said wafer holder has a plurality of contact temperature sensors which are positioned under the wafer so that said contact temperature sensors receive substantially no radiation from lamps, and said contact temperature sensors are in contact with a bottom surface of said wafer for supporting all of said wafer'"'"'s weight and detecting temperatures at different points of said wafer;

a first set of lamps provided over a top wall of said chamber, wherein said lamps of said first set are rod-shaped and said alignment structure comprises a first level alignment and a second level alignment over said first level alignment, said first level alignment aligns said lamps in parallel to each other within a first level plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber so that said lamps extends in a first direction included in said first level plane, and said second level alignment aligns said lamps in parallel to each other within a second level plane parallel to said top wall of said chamber so that said lamps extend in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction and included in said second level plane to form a multi-level meshed structure of said lamps; and

a second set of lamps provided under a bottom wall of said chamber,

wherein said contact temperature sensors are electrically connected through a controller to said lamps to transmit signals indicating detected temperatures to said controller so that powers to be supplied to said lamps are controlled by said controller on the basis of said signals from said contact temperature sensors, and said controller independently controls individual powers to be supplied to said lamps on the basis of individual signals from said contact temperature sensors which individually detect temperatures said wafer at individual points onto which said lamps individually radiate.

27. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said controller comprises a signal controller connected through signal transmission lines to said contact temperature sensors for controlling signals, and a power controller connected to said signal controller and also connected through power transmission lines to said lamps for controlling powers to be supplied through said power transmission lines to said lamps on the basis of signals controlled by said signal controller.

28. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said wafer holder comprises a susceptor.

29. The lamp anneal apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said wafer holder comprises a pedestal.

30. The lamp anneal apparatus of claim 26, wherein said wafer holder comprises a holder base that is positioned under the wafer, each of said temperature sensors having an exposed portion that extends above said holder base to support the wafer and a buried portion that is embedded within said holder base.

31. The lamp anneal apparatus of claim 30, wherein said temperature sensors are radially arrayed from a center of said holder base and spaced apart to detect temperatures at different radially arrayed points of the wafer.