Patent ID: 6236021
Filing Date: 2001-05-22
Classification: C03B,F26B,F27B,F27D,G01K

Abstract:
A rapid thermal processing system for large area substrates, comprising:a processing chamber having a loading/unloading zone and a processing zone;a heating assembly with a first array of heater elements above and a second array of heater elements below the path of transport of a substrate travelling through the system for processing, said arrays being positioned in a facing relationship to each other with the heater elements of said first array perpendicular to the heater elements of said second array, one of said arrays having heater elements positioned parallel to the path of travel of a substrate being processed in said system, said array having a width, defined by its heater elements, wider than the width of said substrate for uniformly heating a substrate in said processing zone; anda transport assembly for transporting the substrate through said processing chamber, said transport assembly comprising:a feed conveyor for transporting the substrate from said loading/unloading zone through said processing zone, anda substrate return assembly for transporting the substrate from said feed conveyor to said loading/unloading zone after the substrate is transported through said processing zone comprising a return conveyor for transporting the substrate to said loading/unloading zone, said return conveyor positioned above said feed conveyor and wherein said feed conveyor and said return conveyor comprise a folded path from and to a loading/unloading zone, and a substrate reverser for transferring the substrate from said feed conveyor to said return conveyor.