Abstract:
Methods and equipment for the removal of semiconductor wafers grown on the top surface of a single crystal silicon substrate covered by a porous silicon separation layer by using IR irradiation of the porous silicon separation layer to initiate release of the semiconductor wafer from the substrate, particularly at edges (and corners) of the top surface of the substrate.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatus for processing substrates and controlling the heating and cooling of substrates are described. A radiation source providing radiation in a first range of wavelengths heats the substrate within a predetermined temperature range, the substrate being absorptive of radiation in a second range of wavelengths within the first range of wavelengths and within the predetermined temperature rang. A filter prevents at least a portion of radiation within the second wavelength range from reaching the substrate.
Abstract:
A method of this invention includes annealing at least one region (2) of a substrate (1) with a short pulse of particles (4). The substrate (1) can be composed of a semiconductor material, for example. The particles (4) can be electrons, protons, alpha particles, other atomic or molecular ions or neutral atoms and molecules. The particles (4) can include dopant atoms such as p-type dopant atoms (e.g. boron, aluminum, gallium, or indium) and n-type dopant atomic species (e.g. arsenic, phosphorus, or antimony). The particles (4) can also include silicon or germanium atoms, or ionized gas atoms including those of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, neon, argon, or krypton. The particles (4) can be used to anneal dopant atoms previously implanted into the substrate. Alternatively, the particle species (4) can be chosen to include the desired implant dopant; the energy of the particles (4) may be chosen to achieve the desired implant depth; and the energy, dose, and pulse duration may be chosen to anneal the implanted region during the pulse. This embodiment of the method performs implantation and activation in a single step. If no change in the electrical state of the substrate (1) is required, the particles (4) can include silicon, and germanium atoms.
Abstract:
A method for creating an inwardly extending impurity distribution profile in a substrate comprising crystalline silicon material having a background doping of a first impurity type, comprising: a) providing one or more additional impurity sources with at least two different types of impurity atoms within the substrate or in proximity to the surface of the substrate, with each of these impurity atoms having different diffusion coefficients or segregation coefficients; b) locally melting a point on the surface of the substrate with a laser, whereby the at least two different types of impurity atoms are incorporated into the melted silicon material; c) removing the laser to allow the silicon material to recrystallise; d) controlling a rate of application and/or removal of the laser to control the creation of the impurity distribution profile, with different distribution profiles for each of the at least two types of impurity atoms in the recrystallised material.
Abstract:
The present disclosure is directed to methods and systems for processing a thin film samples. In an exemplary method, semiconductor thin films are loaded onto two different loading fixtures, laser beam pulses generated by a laser source system are split into first laser beam pulses and second laser beam pulses, the thin film loaded on one loading fixture is irradiated with he first laser beam pulses to induce crystallization while the thin film loaded on the other loading fixture is irradiated with the second laser beam pulses. In a preferred embodiment, at least a portion of the thin film that is loaded on the first loading fixture is irradiated while at least a portion of the thin film that is loaded on the second loading fixture is also being irradiated. In an exemplary embodiment, the laser I source system includes first and second laser sources and an integrator that combines the laser beam pulses generated by the first and second laser sources to form combined laser beam pulses. In certain exemplary embodiments, the methods and system further utilize additional loading fixtures for processing additional thin film samples. In such methods and systems, the irradiation of thin film samples loaded on some of the loading fixtures can be performed while thin film samples are being loaded onto the remaining loading fixtures. In certain exemplary methods and systems, the crystallization processing of the semiconductor thin film samples can consist of a sequential lateral solidification (SLS) process.
Abstract:
A contact for a semiconductor device can be formed by forming a metal on a Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrate and annealing an interface location of the metal and the SiC substrate to form a metal-SiC material thereat and avoiding annealing at a location on the SiC substrate to avoid forming the metal-SiC material thereat.
Abstract:
A method of this invention includes annealing at least one region (2) of a substrate (1) with a short pulse of particles (4). The substrate (1) can be composed of a semiconductor material, for example. The particles (4) can be electrons, protons, alpha particles, other atomic or molecular ions or neutral atoms and molecules. The particles (4) can include dopant atoms such as p-type dopant atoms (e.g. boron, aluminum, gallium, or indium) and n-type dopant atomic species (e.g. arsenic, phosphorus, or antimony). The particles (4) can also include silicon or germanium atoms, or ionized gas atoms including those of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, neon, argon, or krypton. The particles (4) can be used to anneal dopant atoms previously implanted into the substrate. Alternatively, the particle species (4) can be chosen to include the desired implant dopant; the energy of the particles (4) may be chosen to achieve the desired implant depth; and the energy, dose, and pulse duration may be chosen to anneal the implanted region during the pulse. This embodiment of the method performs implantation and activation in a single step. If no change in the electrical state of the substrate (1) is required, the particles (4) can include silicon, and germanium atoms.