Rapid thermal processing for silicon nanoelectronics applications

Single-wafer rapid thermal processing, which has become indispensable in the present-day manufacture of integrated circuits, has replaced batch furnace processing to satisfy device and production requirements for reduced thermal budget, process uniformity, high throughput, ease of process development, and low manufacturing cost. To meet the requirements for critical applications, rapid thermal annealing (RTA) techniques have been developed. For example, RTA is used to form ultra-shallow junctions in complementary-metal-oxide semiconductor transistors with 10-nm-scale gate lengths. This paper discusses approaches to realize the needed rapidity and uniformity in RTA processes, some of which combine radiative, convective, and conductive heat transfer, to control the rapid thermal cycling of silicon wafers for various processes requiring peak temperatures in the range of 200 degrees C to 1,350 degrees C.