Patent ID: 7842905
Filing Date: 2010-11-30
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A method of thermally treating substrates, including the steps of: bringing a substrate into contact with, or spacing the substrate slightly from, a heating plate, wherein said heating plate is heated, on a side remote from the substrate, by a plurality of separately controllable heating elements; providing a frame that radially surrounds said heating plate and is spaced from said heating plate; conveying gas through a gap between said frame and at least one edge of said heating plate in such a way that the gas does not come into contact with the substrate; changing the width of the gap along at least a portion of an edge of said heating plate prior to and/or during a thermal treatment of a substrate; and controlling at least one of a quantity and a temperature of the gas in order to influence a temperature of said at least one edge of said heating plate.