High Temperature Thermal Processing for Ulsi Applications

Abstract

AbstractThe diversity of semiconductor manufacturing as well as the decreasing thermal budget for ULSI devices has driven semiconductor equipment manufacturers to develop and improve thermal processing solutions. Recent advances include new temperature measurement systems for rapid thermal processors (RTP), the development of the small batch fast ramp furnace (SBFR), as well as improved capability and load size in the conventional vertical batch furnace (BF). This paper will review the RTP, SBFR, and batch furnace for typical atmospheric front end of the line applications. Throughput and cycle time will be modeled for each type of system. Sematech's cost of ownership model will be employed to evaluate the relative importance of throughput, mean time between failure, and equipment cost. And finally an overview discussion of the issues associated with temperature measurement and system configurations of the RTP will be given.