System and method for rapid thermal processing

Claim 2

A thermal processing system for processing a semiconductor substrate comprising: a processing chamber; a susceptor providing a heated surface disposed within said processing chamber; a plurality of insulating walls disposed about the periphery of said heated surface; elevational lift pins for receiving the substrate and lowering the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the heated surface for processing at a desired processing temperature which is above a temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation; a removable insulating cover positioned over the substrate during processing such that the insulating cover, insulating walls and heated surface form an insulated heating cavity within which the substrate is heated to the desired processing temperature; a gas source coupled to the processing chamber to provide gas into the processing chamber; an exhaust system coupled to the processing chamber to exhaust gas from the chamber; wherein the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a low initial pressure in the processing chamber; wherein the gas source provides the gas into the processing chamber, and the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a processing pressure in the processing chamber during processing which is higher than the initial pressure in the processing chamber; wherein the exhaust system exhausts the gas from the processing chamber, and the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a post-processing pressure in the processing chamber after processing which is lower than the processing pressure and which thereby reduces conductive heat transfer from the heated surface to the substrate; wherein the insulating cover is removed after processing at the desired processing temperature such that the substrate may radiate to an environment that is substantially cooler than the desired processing temperature; wherein the reduced conductive heat transfer and the radiation to the cooler environment cause the substrate to cool to a temperature that is less than the temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation; and wherein the elevational lift pins raise the substrate perpendicularly away from the heated surface for removal from the processing chamber after processing.

Claim 3

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation is within the range from approximately 900 degrees Centigrade to approximately 1,200 degrees Centigrade.

Claim 4

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the insulating walls and insulating cover comprise opaque quartz.

Claim 5

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the insulating cover comprises a highly reflective material encapsulated within opaque quartz.

Claim 6

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the initial pressure is less than about 10 Torr.

Claim 7

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the processing pressure is greater than about 200 Torr.

Claim 8

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the post-processing pressure is less than about 10 Torr.

Claim 9

The thermal processing system of claim 1 wherein the gas is selected from the group consisting of helium and hydrogen.

Claim 10

A thermal processing system for processing a first semiconductor substrate comprising: a processing chamber; a heated susceptor providing a heating surface disposed within said processing chamber; a cool susceptor providing a cooling surface disposed within said processing chamber; wherein the cooling surface and the heating surface each have a temperature and the temperature of the cooling surface is substantially less than the temperature of the heating surface; a shield disposed between the heating surface and the cooling surface such that the shield substantially blocks direct radiation between the heating surface and the cooling surface; a plurality of insulating walls disposed about the periphery of said heating surface; first elevational lift pins for receiving the substrate and lowering the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the heating surface for processing at a desired processing temperature which is above a temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation; second elevational lift pins for receiving the substrate and lowering the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the cooling surface for cooling after processing at the desired processing temperature; a robot arm for moving the substrate laterally from the first elevational lift pins to the second elevational lift pins; a removable insulating cover positioned over the substrate during processing such that the insulating cover, insulating walls and heating surface form an insulated heating cavity within which the substrate is heated to the desired processing temperature; a gas source coupled to the processing chamber to provide gas into the processing chamber; an exhaust system coupled to the processing chamber to exhaust gas from the chamber; wherein the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a low initial pressure in the processing chamber; wherein the gas source provides the gas into the processing chamber, and the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a processing pressure in the processing chamber during processing which is higher than the initial pressure in the processing chamber; wherein the exhaust system exhausts the gas from the processing chamber, and the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a post-processing pressure in the processing chamber after processing which is lower than the processing pressure and which thereby reduces conductive heat transfer within the processing chamber; wherein the insulating cover is removed after processing at the desired processing temperature such that the substrate may radiate to an environment that is substantially cooler than the desired processing temperature; wherein the reduced conductive heat transfer and the radiation to the cooler environment cause the substrate to cool to a temperature that is less than the temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation; wherein the first elevational lift pins raise the substrate perpendicularly away from the heating surface after processing; wherein the robot arm moves the first substrate from the first elevational lift pins to the second elevational lift pins; wherein the second elevational lift pins lower the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the cooling surface for cooling; and wherein the second elevational lift pins raise the substrate perpendicularly away from the cooling surface after cooling for removal from the processing chamber.

Claim 11

A thermal processing system for processing a first semiconductor substrate comprising: a processing chamber; a heated susceptor providing a heating surface disposed within said processing chamber; a cool susceptor providing a cooling surface disposed within said processing chamber; wherein the cooling surface and the heating surface each have a temperature and the temperature of the cooling surface is substantially less than the temperature of the heating surface; a shield disposed between the heating surface and the cooling surface such that the shield substantially blocks direct radiation between the heating surface and the cooling surface; a plurality of insulating walls disposed about the periphery of said heating surface; first elevational lift pins for receiving the substrate and lowering the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the heating surface for processing at a desired processing temperature which is above a temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation; second elevational lift pins for receiving the substrate and lowering the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the cooling surface for cooling after processing at the desired processing temperature; a robot arm for moving the substrate laterally from the first elevational lift pins to the second elevational lift pins; a removable insulating cover positioned over the substrate during processing such that the insulating cover, insulating walls and heating surface form an insulated heating cavity within which the substrate is heated to the desired processing temperature; a gas source coupled to the processing chamber to provide gas into the processing chamber; an exhaust system coupled to the processing chamber to exhaust gas from the chamber; wherein the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a low initial pressure in the processing chamber; wherein the gas source provides the gas into the processing chamber, and the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a processing pressure in the processing chamber during processing which is higher than the initial pressure in the processing chamber; wherein the exhaust system exhausts the gas from the processing chamber, and the gas source and the exhaust system cooperate to maintain a post-processing pressure in the processing chamber after processing which is lower than the processing pressure and which thereby reduces conductive heat transfer within the processing chamber; wherein the insulating cover is removed after processing at the desired processing temperature such that the substrate may radiate to an environment that is substantially cooler than the desired processing temperature; wherein the reduced conductive heat transfer and the radiation to the cooler environment cause the substrate to cool to a temperature that is less than the temperature at which the substrate is susceptible to plastic deformation; wherein the first elevational lift pins raise the substrate perpendicularly away from the heating surface after processing; wherein the robot arm moves the first substrate from the first elevational lift pins to the second elevational lift pins; wherein the second elevational lift pins lower the substrate perpendicularly to close proximity to the cooling surface for cooling; and wherein the second elevational lift pins raise the substrate perpendicularly away from the cooling surface after cooling for removal from the processing chamber.

Claim 12

The thermal processing system of claim 9 wherein the a second semiconductor substrate is loaded onto the first elevational lift pins after the first substrate is moved to the second elevational lift pins such that the second substrate is processed while the first substrate is cooled.

Claim 13

The thermal processing system of claim 9 further comprising a warm plate disposed across a top surface of the processing chamber over the heating surface and the cooling surface wherein the warm plate has a temperature less than the temperature of the heating surface and greater than the temperature of the cooling surface, whereby the warm plate provides a transitional temperature region in the processing chamber which allows the first substrate to be transferred from a region over the heating surface to a region over the cooling surface with less thermal stress to the first substrate than would be present in the absence of the warm plate.