Rapid thermal anneal system and process

A method for thermally processing a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

• providing a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of device patterns formed thereon;
• positioning the substrate within optical view of a heating lamp array operated by a controller, the lamp array including a plurality of lamps operable to radiantly heat the substrate;
• energizing a first local cluster of adjacent lamps via operation of the controller, wherein the first cluster of lamps energized represents less than a total number of lamps in the array;
• and
• radiantly heating a first local region of the substrate with the first cluster of lamps for an interval of time.

A method for thermally processing a semiconductor wafer in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) chamber, the method comprising:

• providing a semiconductor wafer having a asymmetrical device patterns of device patterns formed thereon;
• providing an RTA machine having a heating lamp array including a plurality of heating lamps and a controller configured to operate the lamp array;
• positioning the wafer in the RTA machine so that a top or bottom surface of the wafer to be heated is facing the lamp array;
• energizing all lamps in the lamp array to heat the wafer for a first interval of time;
• de-energizing all lamps in the lamp array;
• energizing a first cluster of adjacent lamps in the lamp array, wherein the first cluster of lamps represents less than a total number of lamps in the array;
• and
• radiantly heating a first local region of the substrate with the first cluster of lamps for a second interval of time.