A substrate processing method includes an operation for holding a substrate in a horizontal position, the substrate including an amorphous silicon layer having a surface on which an altered layer derived from dry etching is formed, an operation for irradiating the altered layer with ultraviolet rays to reform the altered layer into a reformed layer, and an operation for supplying a chemical solution to the amorphous silicon layer having the reformed layer on the surface to perform wet etching on the amorphous silicon layer. This improves the efficiency of the wet etching on the amorphous silicon layer.

The semiconductor wafer is preheated at a preheating temperature, and then irradiated with a flash of light from a flash lamp. The upper radiation thermometer measures a temperature of a front-surface of a semiconductor wafer which is raised by irradiation with a flash of light. When the front-surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer measured by the upper radiation thermometer reaches the target temperature, the supply of a current to the flash lamps is stopped to lower the front-surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer. Since the supply of a current to the flash lamps is stopped when the measured temperature of the front-surface of the semiconductor wafer reaches the target temperature, the front-surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer can be accurately raised to the target temperature regardless of the front-surface state and reflectance of the semiconductor wafer.

The present disclosure provides a wafer annealing method, including: preparing a wafer, the wafer includes a plurality of regions concentrically disposed on the wafer; heating the plurality of regions, the heating process includes a plurality of heating stages, each of the heating stages has a different heating rate, temperatures of the plurality of regions vary in each of the heating stages; performing heat preservation on the plurality of regions; and cooling the plurality of regions through blowing nitrogen. The wafer annealing method can improve the electrical uniformity of the wafer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to semiconductor processing, and specifically to methods and apparatus for surface modification of substrates. In an embodiment, a substrate modification method is provided. The method includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber; and depositing a material on a portion of the substrate by a deposition process, wherein the deposition process comprises: thermally heating the substrate to a temperature of less than about 500° C.; delivering a first electromagnetic energy from an electromagnetic energy source to the substrate to modify a first region of the substrate, the first region of the substrate being at or near an upper surface of the substrate; and depositing a first material on the first region while delivering the first electromagnetic energy.

An apparatus for thermal treatment of dielectric films on substrates includes: a microwave applicator cavity and microwave power source; a workpiece to be heated in the cavity, having a porous coating on a selected substrate; and, an apparatus for introducing a controlled amount of a polar species into the porous coating immediately before heating by the microwave power. The interaction of the polar species with the microwaves enhances the efficiency of the process, to shorten process time and reduce thermal budget. A related method includes: depositing a porous film on a substrate; soft baking the film to a selected state of dryness; introducing a controlled amount of a polar species into the soft baked film; and, applying microwave energy to heat the film via interaction with the polar species.

A heating treatment method includes:

a step (A) of supplying power to both a heating lamp and an LED, and irradiating a heating object with light emitted from the heating lamp and light emitted from the LED to raise the temperature of the heating object;

a step (B) of decreasing the power supplied to the heating lamp after performing the step (A); and

a step (C) of lowering the temperature of the heating object by decreasing the power supplied to the LED after performing the step (B).

A substrate support device relating to technology disclosed in the description of the present application includes: a holding plate for opposing a substrate bowable by being heated by irradiation with flash light; and a plurality of substrate support pins provided on the holding plate and being for supporting the substrate, wherein the plurality of substrate support pins are arranged at locations where a volume of a space between the holding plate and the substrate in an unbowed state and a volume of a space between the holding plate and the substrate in a bowed state are equal to each other. Breakage of the substrate can be suppressed in a case where the substrate is bowed by flash light.

A silicon semiconductor wafer is transported into a chamber, and preheating of the semiconductor wafer is started in a nitrogen atmosphere by irradiation with light from halogen lamps. When the temperature of the semiconductor wafer reaches a predetermined switching temperature in the course of the preheating, oxygen gas is supplied into the chamber to change the atmosphere within the chamber from the nitrogen atmosphere to an oxygen atmosphere. Thereafter, a front surface of the semiconductor wafer is heated for an extremely short time period by flash irradiation. Oxidation is suppressed when the temperature of the semiconductor wafer is relatively low below the switching temperature, and is caused after the temperature of the semiconductor wafer becomes relatively high. As a result, a dense, thin oxide film having good properties with fewer defects at an interface with a silicon base layer is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer.

Heating treatment is performed on a semiconductor wafer in an ammonia atmosphere formed in a chamber by light irradiation from halogen lamps and flash lamps. For the formation of the ammonia atmosphere in the chamber, pressure in the chamber is once reduced. The pressure in the chamber is also reduced after the heating treatment of the semiconductor wafer. Light irradiation from the halogen lamps is performed to heat the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure in the chamber is reduced by exhausting the atmosphere from the chamber. The heating of the atmosphere in the chamber before the pressure reduction activates the thermal motion of gas molecules in the atmosphere and decreases a gas density. As a result, the gas molecules in the chamber are discharged rapidly during the pressure reduction, so that the pressure in the chamber is reduced to a predetermined pressure in a short time.

A susceptor for semiconductor substrate processing is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the susceptor may comprise an inner susceptor portion and an outer susceptor portion. The susceptor portions may self-align via complementary features, such as tabs on the outer susceptor and recesses on the inner susceptor portion. The inner susceptor portion may contain several contact pads with which to support a wafer during semiconductor processing. In some embodiments, the contact pads are hemispherical to reduce contact area with the wafer, thereby reducing risk of backside damage. The inner susceptor portion may contain a cavity with which to receive a thermocouple. In some embodiments, the diameter of the cavity is greater than the diameter of the thermocouple such that the thermocouple does not contact the walls of the cavity during processing, thereby providing highly accurate temperature measurements.