Patent · US Expired

Thermal process station with heated lid

US6884066B2 · kind B2 · utility

530Cited by
18References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 1, 2003
Grant dateApr 26, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 1, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/67126
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to improve the temperature uniformity of a workpiece being processed on a heated platen of a thermal processing station. A heated platen is enclosed in a housing incorporating an additional heat source that uniformly outputs thermal energy into the process chamber in which the heated platen is positioned. In preferred embodiments, this heat source is positioned in the lid of the housing. It is additionally preferred that the heated lid includes features that provide a gas flow path to introduce to and/or purge gas from the process chamber. In terms of photoresist performance, the improved thermal uniformity provided by using such an additional heat source in the housing, e.g., in the lid, offers improved line width control and line uniformity across a wafer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.