Patent DE-102007053108-A1 (DE)
Title: Thermally treating disk-shaped semiconductor silicon wafer body at a temperature, comprises introducing wafer in treatment chamber having suspension gas stream, and carrying out thermal treatment of wafer under changing wafer temperature
Inventor: MCHEDLIDZE TEIMURAZ
IPC: H01L21/324
Filed: 2007-11-05
Abstract: The method for thermally treating a disk-shaped semiconductor silicon wafer body at a temperature above the room temperature, comprises introducing wafer (106) in a treatment chamber (102) having suspension gas stream (108) in a suspension in freely suspended manner in such a way that the wafer is suspendedly stored in a treatment position in the treatment chamber defined through the suspension gas stream, carrying out the thermal treatment of the wafer under changing a wafer temperature corresponding to a pre-defined temperature profile, and removing the wafer from the treatment chamber. The method for thermally treating a disk-shaped semiconductor silicon wafer body at a temperature above the room temperature, comprises introducing wafer (106) in a treatment chamber (102) having suspension gas stream (108) in a suspension in freely suspended manner in such a way that the wafer is suspendedly stored in a treatment position in the treatment chamber defined through the suspension gas stream, carrying out the thermal treatment of the wafer under changing a wafer temperature corresponding to a pre-defined temperature profile, and removing the wafer from the treatment chamber. A wafer temperature defines as a function of the time changing itself in their values. The wafer is suspendedly moved with a speed depending of the temperature profile through chamber sections of the chamber in the function of the time. Preset temperatures in the chamber sections prevail corresponding to the pre-defined temperature profile. Before the thermal treatment, the wafer is introduced in the chamber before or after allocating the suspension gas stream. The suspension gas stream is allocated by producing turbulence in the suspension gas stream in a spatial zone near to a side of the wafer, by producing the pressure difference in the suspension gas stream on two opposing sides of the wafer and by introducing the suspension gas stream at an end of the chamber. The wafer is suspended to the treatment gas stream, which has a treatment temperature. The treatment gas stream contains the suspension gas stream or the suspension gas stream contains the treatment gas stream or the treatment gas stream is identical with the suspension gas stream. The wafer is additionally treated by illuminating the wafer with light of a pre-determined wavelength and intensity for pre-determined irradiation duration, by heating the side walls of the treatment chamber and by changing a gas pressure of the suspension gas stream on the side of the wafer. The suspension gas stream in the chamber has several partial suspension gas streams, which are introduced on opposing sides of the wafer and are led in alternative opposing direction. The wafer is moved by changing one of the partial gas streams, which is changed by changing suspension gas volumes introduced per unit time in the chamber. The suspension gas stream is introduced in a carrier level, which is arranged in the chamber, receives the wafer and flows by a suspension gas opening in the carrier level. The wafer is moved by moving the carrier level under changing a continuous suspension gas flow. A surface vector of a wafer principal surface stands perpendicular to a direction of a force of gravity to the wafer. The wafer has a circular form and a diameter of 0.2 m. The thermal treatment of the wafer is annealing treatment, fast annealing treatment, oxygen treatment, nitriding treatment, doping treatment or thermal treatment in an inert atmosphere. An independent claim is included for a device for thermally treating a disk-shaped semiconductor silicon wafer body at a temperature above the room temperature.