US 2022/0020613 A1 · STACKED THERMAL PROCESSING CHAMBER MODULES FOR REMOTE RADIATIVE HEATING IN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURE

Abstract

Stacked thermal process chamber module for remote radiative heating of semiconductor device workpieces. A stacked thermal process module may include a stack of thermal process chambers and one or more generators of electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation may be transported from a generator remote from the process chambers through one or more waveguides, thereby minimizing the volume and/or cleanroom footprint of the stacked thermal process chamber module. A waveguide may terminate in a process chamber so that electromagnetic radiation delivered during a thermal process may be coupled into one or more materials of the workpiece. The radiative heating process may overcome many of the limitations of thermal process chambers that instead employ a local heat source located within a process chamber.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A thermal process chamber platform comprising:

a load port to hold a plurality of semiconductor device workpieces;
a thermal process module comprising:
a vertical stack of process chambers, wherein individual ones in the stack of process chambers to contain a single one of the workpieces within a chamber interior during a thermal process;
a plurality of electromagnetic wave generators external of the stack of process chambers;
and
a plurality of waveguides, wherein first ends of the waveguides are coupled to an output of individual ones of the generators, and second ends of the waveguides terminate at individual ones of the process chambers;
a transfer station coupled to the load port and to the thermal process module, the transfer station comprising a robotic handler to transfer workpieces between the load port and individual ones of the process chambers;
and
a module controller communicatively coupled to the thermal process module, the controller to cause the workpieces to be heated within individual ones of the process chambers by electromagnetic waves from the generators.

6 more elements

A method of thermally processing semiconductor device workpieces, the method comprising:

transferring a first of a plurality of workpieces from a load port to an interior of a first process chamber of a module comprising a vertical stack of thermal process chambers;
transferring a second of the workpieces from the load port to an interior of a second process chamber of the module and located above or below the first process chamber within the vertical stack;
heating the first of the workpieces by energizing a first electromagnetic wave generator coupled to the first process chamber through a first waveguide;
heating the second of the workpieces by energizing a second electromagnetic wave generator coupled to the second process chamber through a second waveguide;
transferring the first of the workpieces from the first process chamber to the load port;
and
transferring the second of the workpieces from the second process chamber to the load port.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Stacked thermal processing chamber modules for remote radiative heating in semiconductor device manufacture

Life of this patent

Stacked thermal processing chamber modules for remote radiative heating in semiconductor device manufacture

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20