Patent · US Active

Method of reducing the surface roughness of a semiconductor wafer

US7883628B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
27References
23Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 27, 2005
Grant dateFeb 8, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 27, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/76254
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for reducing the roughness of a free surface of a semiconductor wafer that includes establishing a first atmosphere in an annealing chamber, replacing the first atmosphere with a second atmosphere that includes a gas selected to and in an amount to substantially eliminate or reduce pollutants on a wafer, and exposing the free surface of the wafer to the second atmosphere to substantially eliminate or reduce pollutants thereon. The second atmosphere is then replaced with a third atmosphere that includes pure, and rapid thermal annealing is performed on the wafer exposed to the third atmosphere in the annealing chamber to substantially reduce the roughness of the free surface of the wafer.

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