Method and apparatus for efficiently heating semiconductor wafers or reticles
US5954982A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 12, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 21, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 12, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2237/31794
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for efficiently heating for instance a semiconductor wafer or reticle substrate in either vacuum or air, by exposing the wafer or reticle to radiation whose spectrum is such that it includes only wavelengths which have been determined to be efficiently absorbed by the material of the wafer or reticle. This advantageously allows more rapid and uniform heating than is allowed by prior art broadband radiation, convection heating, or conduction. The wavelength and bandwidth of the radiation are selected to be those wavelengths efficiently absorbed by the wafer or reticle, depending on its particular material and thickness. Typical applications are to a wafer or reticle located in a vacuum where convection or conduction heating are inconvenient or absent.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.