Heat treatment apparatus and heat treatment method for heating substrate by light irradiation

Abstract

A support ring which is an annular protrusion of quartz having a diameter smaller than that of a semiconductor wafer is provided upright on an upper surface of a holding plate of a susceptor. A flash of light is applied to a front surface of the semiconductor wafer supported by the support ring to heat the semiconductor wafer. When the semiconductor wafer is placed on the support ring, an enclosed space is formed which is surrounded by the upper surface of the holding plate, a lower surface of the semiconductor wafer, and an inner wall surface of the support ring. At the time of the flash irradiation, a force pressing from above is exerted on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer because of a pressure difference between the space overlying the semiconductor wafer and the enclosed space to prevent the semiconductor wafer from jumping.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.