Thermal processing chamber for heating and cooling wafer-like objects

An apparatus for thermally processing wafer-like objects comprising:

• a thermal processing chamber having a walled structure comprising a bottom and at least one side wall within which an internal chamber is defined and a transfer opening through the side wall so that a wafer-like object can be insert or removed from the internal chamber;
• a platen operatively positioned within the thermal processing chamber and including a heat generation device and having a support surface for supporting a wafer-like object in heat transfer contact;
• a gas inlet permitting gas flow into the internal chamber;
• and
• a gas outlet through which gas can be exhausted from the internal chamber, the gas outlet having a location that is spaced from a location of the gas inlet with respect to the platen so that gas will flow at least partially about the platen when gas is exhausted from the internal chamber,
• wherein the platen is operatively supported by the bottom of the thermal processing chamber by way of a pedestal base, and the bottom includes a cooling channel extending over at least a portion of the bottom and connectable with a source of cooling fluid for controlling the temperature of the portion of the bottom.

An apparatus for thermally processing wafer-like objects comprising:

• a thermal processing chamber having a walled structure comprising a bottom, at least one side wall and a lid within which an internal chamber is defined and a transfer opening through the side wall so that a wafer-like object can be insert or removed from the internal chamber;
• a platen operatively positioned within the thermal processing chamber and including a heat generation device and having a support surface for supporting a wafer-like object in heat transfer contact;
• a gas inlet permitting gas flow into the internal chamber;
• and
• a gas outlet through which gas can be exhausted from the internal chamber, the gas outlet having a location that is spaced from a location of the gas inlet with respect to the platen so that gas will flow at least partially about the platen when gas is exhausted from the internal chamber,
• wherein the lid of the thermal processing chamber includes a portion thereof having inner and outer spaced wall portions that provide at least one supply chamber formed by the inner and outer spaced wall portions, and the gas inlet is open from the supply chamber into the internal chamber of the thermal processing chamber.

An apparatus for thermally processing wafer-like objects comprising:

• a thermal processing chamber having a walled structure comprising a bottom and at least one side wall within which an internal chamber is defined and a transfer opening through the side wall so that a wafer-like object can be insert or removed from the internal chamber;
• a platen operatively positioned within the thermal processing chamber and including a heat generation device and having a support surface for supporting a wafer-like object in heat transfer contact;
• a gas inlet permitting gas flow into the internal chamber;
• and
• a gas outlet through which gas can be exhausted from the internal chamber, the gas outlet having a location that is spaced from a location of the gas inlet with respect to the platen so that gas will flow at least partially about the platen when gas is exhausted from the internal chamber,
• wherein the bottom of the thermal processing chamber further includes an exhaust channel extending along at least a portion of the bottom and which is open to the internal chamber by the gas outlet.

A method of thermally processing a wafer-like object within a thermal processing chamber having an internal chamber, a transfer opening through which a wafer-like object can be insert or removed from the internal chamber and a platen operatively positioned within the thermal processing chamber and including a heat generation device and having a support surface for supporting a wafer-like object in heat transfer contact, the method including the steps of:

• providing a wafer-like object in heat transfer contact with the support surface of the platen within the internal chamber of the thermal processing chamber;
• heating the wafer-like object by heat generated by the heat generation device;
• moving the wafer-like object from heat transfer contact with the support surface of the platen by a displacement mechanism operatively provided with the thermal processing chamber to a cooling position;
• circulating cooling gas through the internal chamber from a gas inlet, over at least a portion of the wafer-like object and thus cooling at least the portion of the wafer-like object and through a gas outlet.