Patent ID: 7241672

Claim:
A method for annealing a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising: turning on at least one heat source; heating a semiconductor substrate in a chamber; turning off the at least one heat source; cooling the semiconductor substrate in the chamber; wherein the heating a semiconductor substrate includes raising a temperature of the semiconductor substrate from a first temperature value to a second temperature value; the cooling the semiconductor substrate includes lowering the temperature of the semiconductor substrate from the second temperature value to a third temperature value; the heating a semiconductor substrate includes absorbing an energy from the at least one heat source by the semiconductor substrate; the cooling the semiconductor substrate includes flowing a first gas in a vicinity of at least one wall of the chamber, flowing a second gas in a vicinity of the at least one heat source, and flowing a third gas in a vicinity of the semiconductor substrate; a first temperature of the first gas is lower than the second temperature value; a second temperature of the second gas is lower than the second temperature value; a third temperature of the third gas is lower than the second temperature value; wherein the first temperature of the first gas, the second temperature of the second gas, and the third temperature of the third gas are provided at below room temperature and the first temperature, the second temperature, and the third temperature each equals −10° C.