Sealed chamber with heating lamps provided within transparent tubes
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsChienfan Yu, David E. Kotecki, Wesley C. Natzle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reactor is provided for heating a workpiece in a sealed environment. The reactor has a chamber with a gas inlet port, a gas outlet port, and at least one tube for receiving a heat source. The tube passes from outside the chamber into the inside of the chamber without breaking the chamber seal. Alternately, the tubes may be used for treating the workpiece with light, in combination with or instead of heat treatment.
Claims20
An apparatus for controlled temperature treatment of a batch of semiconductor wafers in a sealed environment, comprising:
- a sealed chamber with at least one wall for receiving the wafers, the chamber having a gas inlet port and a gas outlet port;
- at least one tube for receiving a heating means for heating the wafers, the tube passing from outside the chamber to inside the chamber without breaking the seal of the chamber;
- a tube cooling means connected to the tube, the tube cooling means including a source of coolant, a connection fitted to the end of the tube for admitting the coolant to the tube, and a quick disconnect fitted to the tube between the connection and the chamber wall;
- and
- a cooling means attached to the chamber for cooling the chamber wall.
A method of controllably temperature heating a batch of semiconductor wafers in a sealed environment, comprising the steps of:
- placing the wafers in a sealed chamber having a wall;
- admitting a reactant gas to the chamber;
- cooling the chamber walls while carrying on a reaction in the chamber which leaves a residue on the wafers which is removable by desorption;
- controlling the temperature of the wafers and the chamber wall during the reaction with a heating means positioned in at least one tube passing from outside the chamber into the inside of the chamber without breaking the seal of the chamber and a cooling means attached to the chamber wall;
- and
- heating the workpiece after the reaction is complete to desorb the residue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.