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US 5,352,492 AGranted
Annealing process
AssigneeGEC-Marconi Limited
InventorJohn Stoemenos
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a process and apparatus for annealing a substance, such as polysilicon, which is deposited on a substrate, such as a glass plate, the annealing temperature is required to be greater than the softening temperature of the substrate. To prevent deformation of the substrate it is supported on a liquid of density greater than that of the substrate. The liquid is preferably molten tin.
Claims8
A process of annealing an annealable substance deposited on a substrate constituted of a heat-softenable material that has a density and softens at a softening temperature, comprising the steps of:
- supporting the substrate on a liquid having a boiling point and a density greater than the density of the substrate material;
- and raising the temperature of the substrate and the substance deposited thereon to an annealing temperature which is higher than the softening temperature of the substrate material but lower than the boiling point of the liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.