Semiconductor substrate heater and reactor process and apparatus

Claim 2

A reaction apparatus for conducting treatment of thin film materials onto semiconductor substrates, said apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber; a substrate supporting and heating assembly in said chamber comprising: a heating container composed of thermally conductive material and having a flat wall for heating of semiconductor substrates, support means for supporting the back side of at least one semiconductor substrate against the external surface of said wall at a substrate heating location, heat transfer means comprising a low melting point, high boiling point metal contained within said container at least to the level of the top of said substrate heating location and in contact with said wall, heating means for heating said heat transfer means; means for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate and transport means for transporting reactant materials into and out of said chamber whereby heat is transferred from said means for directing heat to the front side of said substrate and from said heating means through said metal to said container wall to heat said external surface of said container wall to a substantially uniform temperature across said substrate heating location for uniformly heating the back side of said substrate during reaction with reactant materials.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heat transfer means comprises essentially indium.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heat transfer means comprises essentially bismuth.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heat transfer means comprises essentially a eutectic of indium and bismuth.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heat transfer means has a melting point below 350° C. and boiling point above 1000° C.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate includes means on the inside surface of said container for reflecting heat energy onto the front side of said substrate.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate includes an auxiliary heat source in said reaction chamber.

Claim 9

Semiconductor wafer processing apparatus comprising, in combination, a processing housing having a substantially horizontal axis, a heating container located within said housing and having at least one thermally conductive wall member adapted to support the back side of a semiconductor substrate substantially vertically at a substrate heating position on the external surface of said wall member along said housing horizontal axis, a low melting point, high boiling point metal in contact with the entire area of the internal wall surface of said wall member corresponding to the normally projected area of said substrate heating location onto said internal surface, means for heating said metal whereby heat is transferred from said heating means to said wall member and heats said external surface of said wall member to substantially uniform temperature across said substrate heating location, a first housing member centered on said horizontal axis surrounding said substrate heating location, means within said first housing for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate, means for introducing and directing a treatment medium into said first housing member in a direction substantially parallel to said horizontal axis and toward said substrate heating location, said first housing member comprising a first inner cylindrical wall portion and a second outer cylindrical wall portion, said wall portions being coaxial and defining an inner cylindrical chamber for directing the treatment medium toward said substrate heating location and an outer annular chamber for directing the treatment medium away from said substrate heating location.

Claim 10

Semiconductor wafer processing apparatus comprising, in combination, a processing housing having a substantially horizontal axis, a heating container located within said housing and having at least one thermally conductive wall member adapted to support the back side of a semiconductor substrate substantially vertically at a substrate heating position on the external surface of said wall member along said housing horizontal axis, a low melting point, high boiling point metal in contact with the entire area of the internal wall surface of said wall member corresponding to the normally projected area of said substrate heating location onto said internal surface, means for heating said metal whereby heat is transferred from said heating means to said wall member and heats said external surface of said wall member to substantially uniform temperature across said substrate heating location, a first housing member centered on said horizontal axis surrounding said substrate heating location, means within said first housing for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate, means for introducing and directing a treatment medium into said first housing member in a direction substantially parallel to said horizontal axis and toward said substrate heating location, said first housing member comprising a first inner cylindrical wall portion and a second outer cylindrical wall portion, said wall portions being coaxial and defining an inner cylindrical chamber for directing the treatment medium toward said substrate heating location and an outer annular chamber for directing the treatment medium away from said substrate heating location.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said heating container includes a pair of parallel spaced apart wall members for supporting at least a pair of semiconductor substrates at substrate heating locations on the external surfaces with the free faces of the substrates facing in opposite directions along said housing horizontal axis, a second housing member centered on said horizontal axis on the other side of said heating container from said first housing, said second housing member comprising a second housing first inner cylindrical wall portion and a second housing second outer cylindrical wall portion, said second housing wall portions being coaxial and defining a second housing inner cylindrical chamber for directing the treatment medium toward said second housing substrate heating location and a second housing outer annular chamber for directing the treatment medium away from said second housing substrate heating location and means for introducing and directing a treatment medium into said second housing member in a direction substantially parallel to said horizontal axis and toward said second housing substrate heating location.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said metal has a melting point below 350° and a boiling point above 1000° C.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said metal is essentially indium.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said metal is essentially bismuth.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said metal is an eutectic of indium and bismuth.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate includes means on the inside surface of said first inner cylindrical wall portion for reflecting heat energy onto the front side of said substrate.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for directing auxiliary heat to the front side of said semiconductor substrate includes an auxiliary heat source within said inner cylindrical chamber.