Patent ID: 6897130

Claim:
A method for thermal processing a semiconductor wafer, wherein the semiconductor wafer is heat-treated by means of flash radiation means constituted by a flash discharge lamp after preheating the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined temperature by means of preheating means, comprising preheating the semiconductor wafer at a preheating temperature selected to insure that a maximum value of tension to be generated in an intermediate range of 0.18 to 0.28 mm from a surface of the semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is irradiated with the flash radiation from the flash discharge lamp is less than a tensile critical strength of the semiconductor wafer, and then heat-treating the semiconductor wafer by the flash radiation provided by the flash discharge lamp, the flash has a rise rate of an irradiation waveform of the flash radiation equal to or more than 2.0×10 5 J/mm 2 ·s 2 and a peak energy equal to or less than 200 J/mm 2 ·s.