Patent ID: 6768084
Filing Date: 2004-07-27
Classification: F27B,F27D,H01L

Abstract:
A thermal processing system, comprising:a heater chamber; a process chamber; a generally thermally-transparent plate separating the heater chamber and the process chamber; a heater assembly disposed within the heater chamber, the heater assembly comprising one or more quasi-continuous heater elements, wherein the one or more heater elements are operable to emit thermal radiation that transmits through the thermally-transparent plate toward a substrate disposed in the process chamber, wherein the one or more heater elements comprise one or more quasi-continuous, coaxial heater rings, and wherein at least one heater ring is closer to or further from the substrate than other heater rings; one or more power supplies operable to provide electric current to the one or more quasi-continuous heater elements; a translation assembly operably coupled to the heater assembly, wherein the translation assembly is operable to vary a distance between the heater assembly and the substrate; one or more temperature sensors operable to measure one or more substrate temperatures at one or more respective locations associated with the substrate; and a controller operably coupled to the heater assembly, the one or more temperature sensors, and the translation assembly, wherein the controller is operable to control the thermal radiation emitted by the one or more heater elements and the distance between the heater assembly and the substrate based, at least in part, on the substrate temperature measured at the one or more locations on the substrate.