Methods and apparatus for forming a metal silicide as nanowires for back-end interconnection structures for semiconductor applications are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a metal silicide layer on a substrate by a chemical vapor deposition process or a physical vapor deposition process, thermal treating the metal silicide layer in a processing chamber, applying a microwave power in the processing chamber while thermal treating the metal silicide layer; and maintaining a substrate temperature less than 400 degrees Celsius while thermal treating the metal silicide layer. In another embodiment, a method includes supplying a deposition gas mixture including at least a metal containing precursor and a reacting gas on a surface of a substrate, forming a plasma in the presence of the deposition gas mixture by exposure to microwave power, exposing the plasma to light radiation, and forming a metal silicide layer on the substrate from the deposition gas.

Structures with altered crystallinity and methods associated with forming such structures. A semiconductor layer has a first region containing polycrystalline semiconductor material, defects, and atoms of an inert gas species. Multiple fins are arranged over the first region of the semiconductor layer. The structure may be formed by implanting the semiconductor layer with inert gas ions to modify a crystal structure of the semiconductor layer in the first region and a second region between the first region and a top surface of the semiconductor layer. An annealing process is used to convert the first region of the semiconductor layer to a polycrystalline state and the second region of the semiconductor layer to a monocrystalline state. The fins are patterned from the second region of the semiconductor layer and another semiconductor layer epitaxially grown over the second region of the semiconductor layer.

Film information about a thin film formed on the front surface of a semiconductor wafer, substrate information about the semiconductor wafer, and an installation angle of an upper radiation thermometer are set and input. Emissivity of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer formed with a multilayer film is calculated based on the various kinds of information. Further, a weighted average efficiency of the emissivity of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer is determined based on a sensitivity distribution of the upper radiation thermometer. Front surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer at the time of heat treatment is measured using the determined weighted average efficiency of the emissivity. The emissivity is determined based on the film information and the like, so that the front surface temperature of the semiconductor wafer can be accurately measured even when thin films are formed in multiple layers.

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 pressure heating apparatus that uniformly heats an object in a chamber in a short time includes a stage onto which the object is loaded; a heating light source that faces the stage, where the heating light source heats the object a non-contact manner while irradiating light onto the object; and a lower reflector disposed around the stage and that reflects light emitted from the heating light source toward the object.

A front surface of a semiconductor wafer is momentarily heated by irradiation with a flash of light from flash lamps. An upper radiation thermometer and a high-speed radiation thermometer unit measure a temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer after the irradiation with the flash of light. The temperature data are sequentially accumulated, so that a temperature profile is acquired. An analyzer determines the highest measurement temperature of the semiconductor wafer subjected to the flash irradiation from the temperature profile to calculate a jump distance of the semiconductor wafer from a susceptor, based on the highest measurement temperature. If the calculated jump distance is greater than a predetermined threshold value, there is a high probability that the semiconductor wafer is significantly out of position, so that the transport of the semiconductor wafer to the outside is stopped.

A laser irradiation apparatus includes a light source that generates a laser beam, a projection lens that radiates the laser beam onto a predetermined region of an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on each of a plurality of thin film transistors on a glass substrate, and a projection mask pattern provided on the projection lens and has a plurality of openings so that the laser beam is radiated onto each of the plurality of thin film transistors, wherein the projection lens radiates the laser beam onto the plurality of thin film transistors on the glass substrate, which moves in a predetermined direction, through the projection mask pattern, and the projection mask pattern is provided such that the openings are not continuous in one column orthogonal to the moving direction.

A method of fabricating an integrated circuit (IC) is provided. The method includes the following steps: providing a substrate; forming a p-well region in the substrate; forming an n-well region in the substrate; conducting a microwave annealing at a first temperature; conducting, after the microwave annealing, a supplemental annealing at a second temperature higher than the first temperature; and fabricating a plurality of field-effect transistors (FETs) in the p-well region and the n-well region.

First irradiation which causes an emission output from a flash lamp to reach its maximum value over a time period in the range of 1 to 20 milliseconds is performed to increase the temperature of a front surface of a semiconductor wafer from a preheating temperature to a target temperature for a time period in the range of 1 to 20 milliseconds. This achieves the activation of the impurities. Subsequently, second irradiation which gradually decreases the emission output from the maximum value over a time period in the range of 3 to 50 milliseconds is performed to maintain the temperature of the front surface within a 25 C. range around the target temperature for a time period in the range of 3 to 50 milliseconds. This prevents the occurrence of process-induced damage while suppressing the diffusion of the impurities.

Systems and methods for improving process uniformity in a millisecond anneal system are provided. In some implementations, a process for thermally treating a substrate in a millisecond anneal system can include obtaining data indicative of a temperature profile associated with one or more substrates during processing in a millisecond anneal system. The process can include one or more of (1) changing the pressure inside the processing chamber of the millisecond anneal system; (2) manipulating the irradiation distribution by way of the refracting effect of a water window in the millisecond anneal system; (3) adjusting the angular positioning of the substrate; and/or (4) configuring the shape of the reflectors used in the millisecond anneal system.