Overview
Rapid annealing furnaces (RTA) are critical equipment in modern large-scale integrated circuit (IC) production. They are mainly used for:
- Activation of dopants after ion implantation
- Formation of shallow junctions
- Growth of high-quality oxide layers
- Formation of metal-silicide alloys
With the rapid advancement of IC process technology, research and development of RTA systems with independent intellectual property is of great theoretical and practical engineering significance.
Design Approach
The company, considering the technical requirements of modern semiconductor device annealing processes, analyzed domestic and international RTA systems and designed an overall technical solution:
- Heating Method:
- Uses lamp-based radiant heating.
- Two rows of orthogonal lamp tubes heat the silicon wafers positioned in the middle.
- Enables rapid temperature ramp-up.
- Temperature Measurement:
- Single-point temperature measurement was chosen for overall system design.
- Non-contact optical high-temperature sensors are selected, calibrated, and integrated into the control system to ensure accurate temperature readings.
- Heat Power Calculation:
- Based on heat transfer theory, system heat power requirements are calculated.
- Design includes heat source, reaction chamber, cooling system, and gas delivery system.
- Temperature Uniformity:
- Edge effects on wafer surface temperature were analyzed.
- Proposed lamp zoning and zoning control to achieve uniform wafer temperature.
- Wafer Transport System:
- Functional requirements for wafer conveyance analyzed.
- Transport system designed to achieve high reliability and throughput.
- Automation and Control:
- System design ensures full automation.
- Includes control system functionality, architecture, and main program flow.
- Guarantees precise and stable temperature control while ensuring ease of operation, reliability, and strong management capabilities.
Key Takeaways
- The design focuses on temperature uniformity, accurate measurement, and rapid ramping, which are critical for modern semiconductor processes.
- Full automation ensures high reliability and operational efficiency.
- The overall system reflects an integration of thermal design, optical sensing, automation, and wafer handling, achieving a state-of-the-art rapid annealing solution for IC manufacturing.