Patent ID: 7151060

Claim:
A device for thermally treating semiconductor wafers or substrates having at least one silicon layer that is to be oxidized and a metal layer, preferably a tungsten layer, that is not to be oxidized, said device comprising: at least one radiation source; a treatment chamber for receiving a substrate, wherein said chamber has at least one wall part located adjacent to the at least one radiation source, and wherein said wall part is substantially transparent for radiation from said at least one radiation source; at least one cover plate disposed between the substrate and said at least one wall part of said treatment chamber located adjacent to said at least one radiation source, wherein said at least one cover plate is dimensioned such that it fully covers said transparent wall part of said treatment chamber in relation to the substrate, in order to prevent material, comprising a metal, metal oxide or metal hydroxide, such as tungsten, tungsten oxide or tungsten hydroxide, emitted or evaporated from said substrate from reaching said transparent wall of said treatment chamber; and a handling device for automatically removing and inserting said at least one cover plate from or into said treatment chamber, wherein said handling device contacts said cover plate only on the surface facing away from the substrate.