Enhanced rapid thermal processing apparatus and method

An apparatus for heat treating at least one generally planar workpiece having opposing first and second major surfaces surrounded by a peripheral edge configuration such that the first and second opposing surfaces cooperate with said peripheral edge configuration to define a peripheral edge region, said apparatus comprising:

• a processing chamber defining a chamber interior for receiving said workpiece;
• a heating arrangement in thermal communication with said chamber interior and in a confronting relationship with said first major surface for emitting an irradiance energy such that a first portion of the irradiance energy is directly incident upon said first major surface of the workpiece and a second portion of the irradiance energy is directed such that, at least initially, the second portion would miss the first major surface;
• and
• a reflector arrangement, supported in said chamber interior having a shape that is complementary with respect to the peripheral edge configuration of said workpiece so as to define a complementary reflector configuration, said reflector arrangement and said workpiece being mutually supported in a way which aligns the complementary reflector configuration with the peripheral edge configuration of said workpiece in a spaced-apart relationship therewith for causing at least part of said second portion of the irradiance energy to be reflected by said complementary reflector configuration and to, thereafter, be incident around and onto the peripheral edge region of said workpiece and a projection of at least the complementary reflector configuration onto a plane which includes the first major surface is complementary to and outwardly spaced away from said peripheral edge configuration by at least a predetermined distance.

An apparatus for heat treating at least one wafer-shaped workpiece having opposing first and second major surfaces delimited by a peripheral edge, said apparatus comprising:

• a processing chamber defining a chamber interior for receiving said workpiece;
• a first heating arrangement in thermal communication with said chamber interior in a confronting relationship with said first major surface for emitting a first irradiance energy during a first heating mode, at least a first portion of which first irradiance energy is directly incident on said first major surface;
• a second heating arrangement in thermal communication with said chamber interior in a confronting relationship with said second major surface and, in cooperation with emitting said first irradiance energy, for emitting a second irradiance energy that is directly incident on said second major surface, during a second heating mode;
• and
• a reflector, supported in said chamber interior, having an annular configuration for reflecting a second portion of said first irradiance energy, that would otherwise at least initially miss the first major surface, so as to be surroundingly incident on a peripheral edge region of said workpiece, proximate to the peripheral edge, and providing for a substantially shadow-free irradiance of said second major surface by said second irradiance energy at least during said second heating mode.

An apparatus for heat treating at least one wafer-shaped workpiece having opposing first and second major surfaces surrounded by a peripheral edge, said apparatus comprising:

• a processing chamber defining a chamber interior for receiving said workpiece;
• a first heating arrangement in thermal communication with said chamber interior for emitting a first irradiance energy in a confronting relationship with said first major surface during a first heating mode, a first portion of which first irradiance energy is directly incident on said first major surface and a second portion of which, at least initially, would miss the first major surface;
• a second heating arrangement in thermal communication with said chamber interior in a confronting relationship with said second major surface and, in cooperation with emitting said first heating arrangement, for emitting a second irradiance energy, during a second heating mode, that is directly incident on said second major surface;
• and
• a reflector arrangement, supported in said chamber interior, having an overall shape that is complementary with respect to the peripheral edge configuration of said workpiece so as to define a complementary reflector configuration for reflecting at least some of said first irradiance energy around and onto the peripheral edge region of said workpiece with said reflector arrangement and said workpiece being mutually supported in a way which aligns the complementary reflector configuration with the peripheral edge configuration of said workpiece in a spaced-apart relationship therewith and to cooperatively provide for substantially shadow-free irradiance of said second major surface by said second irradiance energy, at least during said second heating mode.

An apparatus for heat treating at least one substrate having opposing first and second major surfaces which define a configuration of lateral extents of the substrate that is delimited by a peripheral edge configuration, said apparatus comprising:

• a processing chamber defining a chamber interior for receiving said substrate;
• a first heating configuration in thermal communication with said chamber interior for emitting a pre-heating irradiance for inducing a bulk temperature rise of said workpiece progressively during a preheating interval such that changing a relative positional relationship, between the substrate and the first heating configuration, changes an intensity profile of the pre-heating irradiance across the lateral extents of the substrate;
• a manipulation arrangement for elevationally moving said substrate during said preheating interval to change the intensity profile of the pre-heating irradiance across the lateral extents of the substrate in a way which enhances uniformity of said bulk temperature increase across the configuration of lateral extents of the substrate and for moving the substrate to a treatment position at a treatment station for exposure to a flash irradiance;
• and
• a second heating configuration in thermal communication with said chamber interior for emitting said flash irradiance to produce a substantially instantaneous increase in a surface temperature of a selected one of said first and second major surfaces of the substrate.