Patent ID: 7321722

Claim:
A method for thermal processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: providing a rapid thermal processing (RTP) chamber comprising at least a heating means, a rotation means, and a cooling system for cooling walls of said RTP chamber; cooling said walls of said RTP chamber to a first temperature by said cooling system; loading a semiconductor wafer into said RTP chamber at said first temperature, wherein when loading said semiconductor wafer into said RTP chamber, said semiconductor wafer has a temperature that is lower than said first temperature, thereby causing a tendency of particle deposition from said walls of said RTP chamber onto said semiconductor wafer; pre-heating said semiconductor wafer to a second temperature higher than said first temperature with said heating means, thereby eliminating said tendency of particle deposition; and upon reaching said second temperature, activating said rotation means to start to rotate said semiconductor wafer, wherein said semiconductor wafer is ramped up to a third temperature higher than said second temperature after starting to rotate said semiconductor wafer.