Monte Carlo Simulation of Radiative Heat Transfer in Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) Systems

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe present a general purpose Monte Carlo method for the simulation of radiation heat transfer in rapid thermal processing (RTP) chambers. Three-dimensional mesh generation software is used to discretize the surfaces within the system, allowing the simulation of realistic chamber and reflector designs. An adaptive subdivision of the chamber geometry reduces the number of raysurface intersections which must be computed. The method models internal reflection, absorption, and transmission within participating media, and includes wavelength, temperature, and material dependent optical properties. Radiation heat transfer simulations are used to examine a reflector assembly, and to test the assumptions of optical wafer temperature measurement techniques.