公开(公告)号：EP2005134A2

公开(公告)日：2008-12-24

申请号：EP07779235.6

申请日：2007-03-07

申请人： Applied Materials, Inc.

发明人： RANISH, Joseph Michael ,  DIXIT, Tarpan ,  JENNINGS, Dean ,  RAMACHANDRAN, Balasubramanian ,  HUNTER, Aaron ,  ADERHOLD, Wolfgang ,  ADAMS, Bruce ,  CHANG, Wen Teh

IPC分类号： G01L9/06

CPC分类号： H01L22/12 ,  H01L2924/0002 ,  H01L2924/00

摘要： The present invention generally relates to methods for the rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. Embodiments of the invention include controlling a thermal process using either a real-time adaptive control algorithm or by using a control algorithm that is selected from a suite of fixed control algorithms designed for a variety of substrate types. Selection of the control algorithm is based on optical properties of the substrate measured during the thermal process. In one embodiment, a combination of control algorithms are used, wherein the majority of lamp groupings are controlled with a fixed control algorithm and a substantially smaller number of lamp zones are controlled by an adaptive control algorithm.

公开(公告)号：EP1992013A2

公开(公告)日：2008-11-19

申请号：EP07757396.2

申请日：2007-02-23

申请人： Applied Materials, Inc.

发明人： MAYUR, Abhilash ,  YAM, Mark ,  BALAKRISHNA, Ajit ,  CAREY, Paul ,  JENNINGS, Dean ,  MOFFATT, Stephen ,  SCHAFFER, William ,  LERNER, Alexander, N. ,  THOMAS, Timothy, N. ,  HUNTER, Aaron, Muir

IPC分类号： H01L21/76

CPC分类号： H01L21/823418 ,  H01L21/823425 ,  H01L21/823475

摘要： The present invention generally describes one ore more apparatuses and various methods that are used to perform an annealing process on desired regions of a substrate. In one embodiment, an amount of energy is delivered to the surface of the substrate to preferentially melt certain desired regions of the substrate to remove unwanted damage created from prior processing steps, more evenly distribute dopants in various regions of the substrate, and/or activate various regions of the substrate. The preferential melting processes will allow more uniform distribution of the dopants in the melted region, due to the increased diffusion rate and solubility of the dopant atoms in the molten region of the substrate. The creation of a melted region thus allows: 1) the dopant atoms to redistribute more uniformly, 2) defects created in prior processing steps to be removed, and 3) regions that have hyper-abrupt dopant concentrations to be formed.

公开(公告)号：EP1676300A1

公开(公告)日：2006-07-05

申请号：EP04793905.3

申请日：2004-10-01

申请人： APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

发明人： AUTRYVE, Luc, Van ,  BENCHER , Chris, D. ,  JENNINGS, Dean ,  LIANG, Haifan ,  MAYUR, Abhilash, J. ,  YAM, Mark ,  YEH, Wendy, H. ,  BROUGH, Richard, A.

IPC分类号： H01L21/268 ,  H01L21/265

CPC分类号： H01L21/26513 ,  H01L21/268

摘要： A method of processing a substrate comprising depositing a layer comprising amorphous carbon on the substrate and then exposing the substrate to electromagnetic radiation have one or more wavelengths between about 600 nm and about 1000 nm under conditions sufficient to heat the layer to a temperature of at least about 300° C. is provided. Optionally, the layer further comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, boron, phosphorus, fluorine, and combinations thereof. In one aspect, the layer comprising amorphous carbon is an anti-reflective coating and an absorber layer that absorbs the electromagnetic radiation and anneals a top surface layer of the substrate. In one aspect, the substrate is exposed to the electromagnetic radiation in a laser annealing process.

公开(公告)号：EP1676300B1

公开(公告)日：2014-10-01

申请号：EP04793905.3

申请日：2004-10-01

申请人： Applied Materials, Inc.

发明人： AUTRYVE, Luc, Van ,  BENCHER , Chris, D. ,  JENNINGS, Dean ,  LIANG, Haifan ,  MAYUR, Abhilash, J. ,  YAM, Mark ,  YEH, Wendy, H. ,  BROUGH, Richard, A.

IPC分类号： H01L21/268 ,  H01L21/265

CPC分类号： H01L21/26513 ,  H01L21/268

摘要： A method of processing a substrate comprising depositing a layer comprising amorphous carbon on the substrate and then exposing the substrate to electromagnetic radiation have one or more wavelengths between about 600 nm and about 1000 nm under conditions sufficient to heat the layer to a temperature of at least about 300° C. is provided. Optionally, the layer further comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, boron, phosphorus, fluorine, and combinations thereof. In one aspect, the layer comprising amorphous carbon is an anti-reflective coating and an absorber layer that absorbs the electromagnetic radiation and anneals a top surface layer of the substrate. In one aspect, the substrate is exposed to the electromagnetic radiation in a laser annealing process.

公开(公告)号：EP1479267B1

公开(公告)日：2006-10-04

申请号：EP03713856.7

申请日：2003-03-04

申请人： APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

发明人： JENNINGS, Dean

IPC分类号： H05B3/00 ,  H01L21/00 ,  C23C16/48 ,  C23C14/54 ,  C30B31/12 ,  C30B25/10

CPC分类号： C30B31/12

摘要： An operating voltage is supplied to first and second groups in accordance with a recipe for thermally processing a semiconductor wafer. It is then determined that the operating voltage is an undesired voltage in a range of voltages between a predetermined lower voltage and a predetermined upper voltage. Subsequently, a first voltage is applied to the first group of heating lamps and a second voltage is delivered to the second group of heating lamps. The first voltage is above the predetermined upper voltage, while the second voltage is below the predetermined lower voltage. Also, a weighted average of the first and second voltages approximates the undesired voltage. In the meantime, the operational voltage is supplied to a remainder of the array of heating lamps in accordance with the recipe, where the operational voltage is below the predetermined upper voltage.

公开(公告)号：EP1479267A1

公开(公告)日：2004-11-24

申请号：EP03713856.7

申请日：2003-03-04

申请人： Applied Materials, Inc.

发明人： JENNINGS, Dean

IPC分类号： H05B3/00 ,  H01L21/00 ,  C23C16/48 ,  C23C14/54 ,  C30B31/12 ,  C30B25/10

CPC分类号： C30B31/12

摘要： An operating voltage is supplied to first and second groups in accordance with a recipe for thermally processing a semiconductor wafer. It is then determined that the operating voltage is an undesired voltage in a range of voltages between a predetermined lower voltage and a predetermined upper voltage. Subsequently, a first voltage is applied to the first group of heating lamps and a second voltage is delivered to the second group of heating lamps. The first voltage is above the predetermined upper voltage, while the second voltage is below the predetermined lower voltage. Also, a weighted average of the first and second voltages approximates the undesired voltage. In the meantime, the operational voltage is supplied to a remainder of the array of heating lamps in accordance with the recipe, where the operational voltage is below the predetermined upper voltage.

公开(公告)号：EP1872397B1

公开(公告)日：2013-04-17

申请号：EP06749072.2

申请日：2006-03-30

申请人： Applied Materials, Inc.

发明人： JENNINGS, Dean ,  LANG, Haifan ,  YAM, Mark ,  PARIHAR, Vijay ,  MAYUR, Abhilash ,  HUNTERN, Aaron ,  ADAMS, Bruce ,  RANISH, Joseph, Michael

IPC分类号： H01L21/428 ,  B23K26/00 ,  B23K26/06 ,  B23K26/073

CPC分类号： B23K26/0608 ,  B23K26/0066 ,  B23K26/0604 ,  B23K26/0613 ,  B23K26/073 ,  B23K26/0732 ,  B23K26/0736 ,  B23K26/0738 ,  H01L21/02675 ,  H01L21/2026 ,  H01L21/268 ,  H01L21/324

摘要： A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO 2 emitting at 10.6 mum is focused onto a silicon wafer as a line beam and a second laser source, for example, a GaAs laser bar emitting at 808 nm is focused onto the wafer as a larger beam surrounding the line beam. The two beams are scanned in synchronism in the direction of the narrow dimension of the line beam to create a narrow heating pulse from the line beam when activated by the larger beam. The energy of GaAs radiation is greater than the silicon bandgap energy and creates free carriers. The energy of the CO 2 radiation is less than the silicon bandgap energy so silicon is otherwise transparent to it, but the long wavelength radiation is absorbed by the free carriers.

公开(公告)号：EP1824637A1

公开(公告)日：2007-08-29

申请号：EP05813276.2

申请日：2005-10-12

申请人： Applied Materials, Inc.

发明人： ADAMS, Bruce, E. ,  JENNINGS, Dean ,  HUNTER, Aaron, M. ,  MAYUR, Abhilash, J. ,  PARIHAR, Vijay

IPC分类号： B23K26/42

CPC分类号： B23K26/032 ,  B23K26/03 ,  B23K26/0604 ,  B23K26/0676 ,  B23K26/0738 ,  B23K26/702 ,  B23K2201/40

摘要： A thermal processing system (10) includes a source of laser radiation having an array (34) of lasers emitting light at a laser wavelength, a substrate support, optics (48,52,62,64,66,70) disposed between said source and said substrate support for forming a line beam in a substrate plane of the substrate support from the light emitted by the source of laser radiation, and scanning apparatus (16,18) for effecting movement of said line beam relative to said substrate support in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said line beam. The system further includes a housing (68) encompassing said optics, a light detector (81) disposed inside said housing for sensing an ambient light level, a power supply (100) coupled to the source of laser radiation, and a controller (90) governing said power supply and responsive to said light detector (81) for interrupting said power supply upon an increase in the output of said light detector (81) above a threshold ambient level.

公开(公告)号：EP1812956A1

公开(公告)日：2007-08-01

申请号：EP05807400.6

申请日：2005-10-12

申请人： APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

发明人： JENNINGS, Dean ,  THOMAS, Timothy, N.

IPC分类号： H01L21/00

CPC分类号： H01L21/67115

摘要： Apparatus for thermally processing a substrate includes a source of laser radiation comprising a plurality diode lasers arranged along a slow axis, optics directing the laser radiation from the source to the substrate, and an array of photodetectors arranged along a fast axis perpendicular to the slow axis and receiving portions of the laser radiation reflected from the substrate through the optics.

公开(公告)号：EP1872397A1

公开(公告)日：2008-01-02

申请号：EP06749072.2

申请日：2006-03-30

申请人： APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

发明人： JENNINGS, Dean ,  LANG, Haifan ,  YAM, Mark ,  PARIHAR, Vjay ,  MAYUR, Abhilash ,  HUNTERN, Aaron ,  ADAMS, Bruce ,  RANISH, Joseph, Michael

IPC分类号： H01L21/428

CPC分类号： B23K26/0608 ,  B23K26/0066 ,  B23K26/0604 ,  B23K26/0613 ,  B23K26/073 ,  B23K26/0732 ,  B23K26/0736 ,  B23K26/0738 ,  H01L21/02675 ,  H01L21/2026 ,  H01L21/268 ,  H01L21/324

摘要： A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO 2 emitting at 10.6 mum is focused onto a silicon wafer as a line beam and a second laser source, for example, a GaAs laser bar emitting at 808 nm is focused onto the wafer as a larger beam surrounding the line beam. The two beams are scanned in synchronism in the direction of the narrow dimension of the line beam to create a narrow heating pulse from the line beam when activated by the larger beam. The energy of GaAs radiation is greater than the silicon bandgap energy and creates free carriers. The energy of the CO 2 radiation is less than the silicon bandgap energy so silicon is otherwise transparent to it, but the long wavelength radiation is absorbed by the free carriers.