HEATING APPARATUS, HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20080226272A1
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Tomohiro, Kasai, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 392/418
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2686 using incoherent radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation

Abstract

A heating apparatus for heating a target object W is provided with a plurality of heating light sources, including LED elements for applying heating light having a wavelength within a range from 360 to 520 nm to the object. Thus, a temperature of only the shallow surface of the object, such as a semiconductor wafer, is increased/reduced at a high speed in uniform temperature distribution, irrespective of the film type.

Claims

1. A heating apparatus for heating a target object, comprising a plurality of heating light sources including LED (Light Emitting Diode) elements each for emitting heating light toward the object, the heating light having a wavelength in a range from 360 to 520 nm.

2. The heating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the LED elements include at least one of ultraviolet LED elements for emitting ultraviolet light, purple LED elements for emitting purple light and blue LED elements for emitting blue light.

3. The heating apparatus of claim 2, wherein the blue LED elements emit the heating light having a central wavelength of 470 nm.

4. The heating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising first reflectors provided correspondingly to the respective heating light sources to reflect the light from the heating light sources toward the object.

5. The heating apparatus of claim 4, wherein the lights reflected from the first reflectors are adapted to be respectively collected onto different regions of the object.

6. The heating apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the first reflectors is made of aluminum or formed by coating a magnesium fluoride film on an aluminum surface.

7. The heating apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the heating light sources includes an element attachment rod formed of a heat pipe, the LED elements being attached to tip portions of the element attachment rods.

8. The heating apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the heating light sources includes a base portion supported by a housing.

9. The heating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the housing is formed into a dome shape and has an inner curved reflection surface serving as a second reflector.

10. The heating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second reflector is made of aluminum or formed by coating a magnesium fluoride film on an aluminum surface.

11. The heating apparatus of claim 8, wherein an attachment rod cooling unit for cooling the base portion of each of the heating light sources is provided in the housing.

12. The heating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the element attachment rod of each of the heating light sources is configured to extend in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the object or in a direction approximate to the perpendicular direction.

13. The heating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a radiation thermometer for measuring a temperature of the object, the radiation thermometer measuring a wavelength band different from a wavelength band of the light beams emitted from the LED elements.

14. A heat treatment apparatus for performing a specified heat treatment to a target object, comprising:

an exhaustible processing chamber having an open ceiling portion;

a mounting table provided within the processing chamber for supporting the object on an upper surface thereof;

a light transmission window for air-tightly covering the ceiling portion of the processing chamber;

a gas introducing unit for introducing a required gas into the processing chamber; and

a heating apparatus provided above the light transmission window for emitting heating light toward the object,

wherein the heating apparatus includes a heating light source having an LED element for emitting heating light toward the object, the heating light having a wavelength in a range from 360 to 520 nm.

15. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 14, wherein a plurality of thermoelectric conversion devices is provided in an upper portion of the mounting table.

16. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 14, wherein a heat medium flow passage for, if necessary, allowing heat medium to flow through the passage is provided in the table.

17. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a control unit for controlling an overall operation of the heat treatment apparatus,

wherein the control unit controls the heat treatment apparatus in such a way that, when heating the object, the heating apparatus is turned on and an electric current is allowed to flow through the thermoelectric conversion devices in such a direction as to heat the object while, when cooling the object, the heating apparatus is turned off and an electric current is allowed to flow through the thermoelectric conversion devices in such a direction as to cool the object.

18. The heat treatment apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a control unit for controlling an overall operation of the heat treatment apparatus,

wherein the control unit controls the heat treatment apparatus in such a way that, when heating the object, the thermoelectric conversion devices are first turned on to preheat the object by allowing an electric current to flow in such a direction as to heat the object and then the heating apparatus is turned on while, when cooling the object, the heating apparatus is turned off and an electric current is allowed to flow through the thermoelectric conversion devices in such a direction as to cool the object.

19. A storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a heat treatment apparatus for performing a specified heat treatment to a target object, the heat treatment apparatus comprising:

an exhaustible processing chamber having an open ceiling portion;

a mounting table provided within the processing chamber for supporting the object on an upper surface thereof;

a light transmission window for air-tightly covering the ceiling portion of the processing chamber;

a gas introducing unit for introducing a required gas into the processing chamber; and

a heating apparatus provided above the light transmission window for emitting heating light toward the object,

wherein the heating apparatus comprises a heating light source including an LED element for emitting heating light toward the object, the heating light having a wavelength in a range from 360 to 520 nm, and wherein a plurality of thermoelectric conversion devices is provided in an upper portion of the mounting table,

wherein the computer program controls the heat treatment apparatus to perform the specified heat treatment in such a way that, when heating the object, the heating apparatus is turned on and an electric current is allowed to flow through the thermoelectric conversion devices in such a direction as to heat the object while, when cooling the object, the heating apparatus is turned off and an electric current is allowed to flow through the thermoelectric conversion devices in such a direction as to cool the object.

20. A storage medium storing a computer program for controlling a heat treatment apparatus for performing a specified heat treatment to a target object, the heat treatment apparatus comprising:

an exhaustible processing chamber having an open ceiling portion;

a mounting table provided within the processing chamber for supporting the object on an upper surface thereof;

a light transmission window for air-tightly covering the ceiling portion of the processing chamber;

a gas introducing unit for introducing a required gas into the processing chamber; and

a heating apparatus provided above the light transmission window for emitting heating light toward the object,

wherein the heating apparatus comprises a heating light source including an LED element for emitting heating light toward the object, the heating light having a wavelength in a range from 360 to 520 nm, and wherein a plurality of thermoelectric conversion devices is provided in an upper portion of the table,

wherein the computer program controls the heat treatment apparatus to perform the specified heat treatment in such a way that, when heating the object, the thermoelectric conversion devices are first turned on to preheat the object by allowing an electric current to flow in such a direction as to heat the object and then the heating apparatus is turned on while, when cooling the object, the heating apparatus is turned off and an electric current is allowed to flow through the thermoelectric conversion devices in such a direction as to cool the object.